TY - RPRT TI - The Radical How AU - Greenway, Andrew AU - Loosemore, Tom AB - Any mission-focused government should be well equipped to define, from day one, what outcomes it wants to bring about. But radically changing what the government does is only part of the challenge. We also need to change how government does things. The usual methods, we argue in this paper, are too prone to failure and delay. There’s a different approach to public service organisation, one based on multidisciplinary teams, starting with citizen needs, and scaling iteratively by testing assumptions. We’ve been arguing in favour of it for years now, and the more it gets used, the more we see success and timely delivery. We think taking a new approach makes it possible to shift government from an organisation of programmes and projects, to one of missions and services. It offers even constrained administrations an opportunity to improve their chances of delivering outcomes, reducing risk, saving money, and rebuilding public trust. The Radical How in a nutshell The struggles and shortcomings of delivering in government are well rehearsed. Many of the root causes that make it tough have been restated several times over several decades. But what to do? We believe the government can and should change how it delivers, by: organising around multidisciplinary teams embracing incremental, feedback-driven iteration focusing more on outcomes. The Radical How is a change of mindset as much as a change in organisation. It promotes methods and processes that have been shown to work, multiple times, at scale. They are the default ways of working for many of the world’s most successful companies. However, the occasions where they have been deployed are rare in government. These occasions have come about thanks to exceptional leaders, exceptional circumstances, or both. We think they’d make a big difference if they became the norm, rather than the exception. We also think that without them, mission oriented government will not become a reality. New policy ideas will remain just that, rather than translating into profound improvements to society. Central to this approach is the widespread adoption of internet-era ways of working. This paper explains both those and our thinking in more detail, with reference to real examples. CY - London DA - 2024/03// PY - 2024 PB - Nesta and Public Digital UR - https://options2040.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/The-Radical-How.pdf Y2 - 2024/03/15/09:38:01 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Doing weeknotes - What weeknotes are, how weeknotes work, and how to start writing weeknotes of your own AU - Turnbull, Giles AB - Doing weeknotes brings together various things I’ve written about weeknotes in different places. This text expands on things I wrote in The agile comms handbook, as well as various blog posts. Quite a lot of it is brand new. - Weeknotes for beginners - Why write weeknotes - The weeknotes rules - Weeknotes within the corporate environment - What weeknotes can bring about - Examples of good weeknotes - How to write weeknotes - Weeknotes tips and tricks - Further reading CY - London DA - 2024/03// PY - 2024 PB - Use the Human Voice UR - https://doingweeknotes.com/?mc_cid=c757cfd211&mc_eid=49f075c6b0 Y2 - 2024/03/15/10:04:18 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Addressing the evaluation-of-sustainability-paradox: A relational rubric for evidencing… AU - Guerzovich, Florencia T2 - Medium AB - Florencia Guerzovich and Alix Wadeson DA - 2024/02/13/T12:15:56.628Z PY - 2024 LA - en ST - Addressing the evaluation-of-sustainability-paradox UR - https://medium.com/@florcig/addressing-the-evaluation-of-sustainability-paradox-a-relational-rubric-for-evidencing-001683a36398 Y2 - 2024/02/13/13:07:44 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Breaking free from the theory of change straight jacket AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Snijder, Mieke AU - Paul, Sukanta T2 - CLARISSA AB - The CLARISSA Social Protection Intervention was set us as an innovative social policy intervention for tackling social ills, with a... DA - 2024/01/22/ PY - 2024 LA - en-US UR - https://clarissa.global/getting-out-of-the-theory-of-change-straight-jacket-the-freedom-and-challenges-of-a-reflexive-approach/ Y2 - 2024/02/06/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Scaling up Social Accountability in Complex Governance Systems: A Relational Approach for Evidencing Sustainability AU - Guerzovich, Florencia AU - Wadeson, Alix AB - When social accountability interventions scale up and their sustainability depends on the interactions of many agents and system components, related results are rarely observable at the end of an intervention. The 2019 OECD Development Assistance Committee’s (OECD DAC) revamped evaluations criteria for assessing sustainability acknowledges that such results are often emergent, and should be monitored and evaluated with this in mind. It therefore emphasizes a turn towards assessing complex processes prospectively. It also asks evaluations to consider how likely it is that these results are evident at the time they are monitored or evaluated. However,the social accountability field continues to have gaps regarding doing this effectively in practice. This paper presents and provides evidence from testing an innovative operational approach that has promising potential to support this aim - a sequential, relational rubric. This approach can support practitioners to monitor, evaluate and learn about the causal processes of scale up of social accountability interventions with an eye towards sustainability i.e., considering prospective sustainability. It is grounded in systems thinking, co-production and social learning theory, as well as links with collective governance and social contract theory for development. Evidence yielded from the authors’ testing of this approach on a sample of diverse projects from the Global Partnership for Social Accountability (GPSA) program revealed that the alleged ‘absence of evidence’ dilemma of social accountability scale up is due to ill-fitting concepts and methods for assessment. It challenges existing assumptions and findings that claim that social accountabilityprocesses do not scale and are unsustainable. The authors propose that by using fit-for-purpose concepts and methods with a focus on social learning and compromise – also called a ‘resonance pathway to scale’ which this paper discusses in detail – it is possible to observe loosely coordinated scale up processes at work in many (but not all) social accountability interventions and identify tangible evidence of prospective sustainability. An important caveat is that these processes, the outcomes they generate, and the corresponding evidence often look qualitatively different than the original intervention design and predictions for scale-up at that point in time. This is because the process of deliberation and compromise inherent to social accountability work in dynamic local systems introduces changes and new conditions for uptake by diverse actors in the public sector, civil society, and donor institutions. The paper concludes that even relatively small-scale localized projects of three to five years with budgets of less than one million USD, across different contexts and sectors can produce processes and outcomes which contribute to many forms of sustainability, including via scaleup.Furthermore, the cross-fertilization of learning and aggregation of results for scale-up across projects within and beyond the GPSA (and other programs) can help monitoring evaluation and learning (MEL) and social accountability practitioners alike to deliver on a program’s mandate. Doing so can also create new knowledge for the wider social accountability field that siloed interventions, lacking suitable concepts and methods for assessing scale-up and prospective sustainability, often fail to produce. The paper ends with recommendations for taking forward this approach and the associated benefits, implications and required investments. CY - Washington DC DA - 2024/01// PY - 2024 PB - World Bank UR - http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099248202082451403/IDU143be23531a0f714f561b91515c596de86102 Y2 - 2024/02/13/13:08:03 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Unconditional cash support sparks transformation: A story from CLARISSA Social Protection Intervention in Dhaka AU - Aktar, Afrin AU - Debnath, Raj AU - Kashfi, Sharmin T2 - CLARISSA AB - The CLARISSA Social Protection (SP) intervention provided six months of unconditional cash transfers to every household in the Gojmohol neighbourhood,... DA - 2023/12/13/T12:40:13+00:00 PY - 2023 LA - en-US ST - Unconditional cash support sparks transformation UR - https://clarissa.global/unconditional-cash-support-sparks-transformation-a-story-from-clarissa-social-protection-intervention-in-dhaka/ Y2 - 2023/12/15/11:01:22 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Insights for Influence: Understanding Impact Pathways in Crisis Response AU - Clark, Louise AU - Carpenter, Jo AU - Taylor, Joe AB - The Covid-19 Responses for Equity (CORE) programme was a three-year initiative funded by the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) that brought together 20 projects from across the global South to understand the socioeconomic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, improve existing responses, and generate better policy options for recovery. The research covered 42 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East to understand the ways in which the pandemic affected the most vulnerable people and regions, and deepened existing vulnerabilities. Research projects covered a broad range of themes, including macroeconomic policies for support and recovery; supporting essential economic activity and protecting informal businesses, small producers, and women workers; and promoting democratic governance to strengthen accountability, social inclusion, and civil engagement. The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) provided knowledge translation (KT) support to CORE research partners to maximise the learning generated across the research portfolio and deepen engagement with governments, civil society, and the scientific community. As part of this support, the IDS KT team worked with CORE project teams to reconstruct and reflect on their impact pathways to facilitate South-South knowledge exchange on effective strategies for research impact, and share learning on how the CORE cohort has influenced policy and delivered change. This report presents an overview of these impact pathways and the lessons learnt from a selection of the projects chosen to represent the diversity of approaches to engage policymakers, civil society, and the media to generate and share evidence of the effect of the pandemic on diverse vulnerable groups. CY - Brighton DA - 2023/11/10/ PY - 2023 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Institute of Development Studies ST - Insights for Influence UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/18172 Y2 - 2023/11/13/12:39:09 ER - TY - MGZN TI - How AI Fits into Lean Six Sigma AU - Holweg, Matthias AU - Davenport, Thomas H. AU - Snyder, Ken T2 - Harvard Business Review AB - AI already is being used in some areas of process improvement, and the usage of this technology — including generative AI — promises to grow. That’s because it can perform tasks faster and much less expensively than humans alone. But it will never fully replace people — and that poses management challenges. DA - 2023/11/09/T13:35:41Z PY - 2023 DP - hbr.org SN - 0017-8012 UR - https://hbr.org/2023/11/how-ai-fits-into-lean-six-sigma Y2 - 2023/11/14/22:24:48 ER - TY - BLOG TI - 3 things that are enabling the UNDP’s shift to portfolios AU - Begovic, Milica T2 - Medium AB - By Millie Begovic, Head of the UNDP Strategic Innovation Unit DA - 2023/11/07/T06:56:43.975Z PY - 2023 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/@undp.innovation/3-things-that-are-enabling-the-undps-shift-to-portfolios-874a6183decd Y2 - 2023/11/07/11:23:19 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Life Stories From Children Working in Bangladesh’s Leather Sector and its Neighbourhoods: Told and Analysed by Children AU - Sayem, Mashrique AU - Sayed, Sayma AU - Maksud, A. K. M. AU - Reaz Hossain, Khandaker AU - Afroze, Jiniya AU - Burns, Danny AU - Raw, Anna AU - Hacker, Elizabeth T2 - CLARISSA Research and Evidence Paper AB - CLARISSA (Child Labour: Action-Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia) has a participatory and child-centred approach that supports children to gather evidence, analyse it themselves and generate solutions to the problems they identify. The life story collection and collective analysis processes supported children engaged in the worst forms of child labour in Bangladesh to share and analyse their life stories. Over 400 life stories were collected from children who worked in the leather supply chain, or who lived and worked in leather sector neighbourhoods. Using causal mapping, 53 children who were engaged in or had experience of the worst forms of child labour collectively analysed the data. This resulted in children’s life stories becoming the evidence base for revealing macro‑level system dynamics that drive the worst forms of child labour. This paper is a record of the children’s analysis of the life stories and key themes they identified, which formed the basis of a series of seven child-led Participatory Action Research groups. CY - Brighton DA - 2023/11/06/ PY - 2023 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Institute of Development Studies SN - 5 ST - Life Stories From Children Working in Bangladesh’s Leather Sector and its Neighbourhoods UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/18168 Y2 - 2023/11/13/12:56:32 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Challenge-led Innovation Workbook. Organising for Systems Innovation at Scale AU - Burkett, Ingrid AB - Organising for Systems Innovation at Scale Our team at Griffith Centre for Systems Innovation have been experimenting with and evolving a Challenge-led Innovation Approach (based on Mission-oriented approaches developed by Mariana Mazzucato at UCL IIPP and others internationally). We are using this approach to guide the way we work internally and engage with our systems innovation partners. We’ve facilitated intensive Re:Treats, worked with government bodies, businesses and civic organisations, and engaged deeply with others exploring this work. We have a bias for developing and testing HOW such approaches could be applied to respond to both local and global challenges rather than getting too caught up in the what and why of such approaches. We decided to openly share our learnings and thinking to date in this workbook, to spark conversations and innovation in both practice and thinking amongst those exploring how we work, and to learn together to address complex systems and challenges. We see this booklet as a first step in a longer learning journey. In it we share an overview of: the principles and processes that sparked our evolution to a Challenge-led Innovation framework (from Mission-oriented). examples of our learnings from other system innovators who are experimenting. an adaptable process to help guide the learning journey. learning tools and canvases to catalyse thinking, practice, and further adaptations. Part One sets out some foundations we’ve identified as important to Challenge-led Innovation. If you want to jump straight into the mapping process, we suggest you skip to Part Two. The final section, Part Three, focuses on what we have learnt about the conditions needed and how to get started on a Challenge-led initiative. CY - Logan DA - 2023/11// PY - 2023 LA - en PB - Griffith Centre for Systems Innovation UR - https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0033/1881573/GCSI-Challenge-Led-Innovation-Workbook.pdf Y2 - 2024/02/29/12:07:29 ER - TY - BOOK TI - Scaling Up Development Impact AU - Guerrero, Isabel AU - Gokhale, Siddhant AU - Fahsbender, Jossie AB - Today, nearly one billion people lack electricity, over three billion lack clean water, and 750 million lack basic literacy skills. Many of these challenges could be solved with existing solutions, and technology enables us to reach the last mile like never before. Yet, few solutions attain the necessary scale to match the size of these challenges. Scaling Up Development Impact offers an analytical framework, a set of practical tools, and adaptive evaluation techniques to accompany the scaling process. It presents rich organizational experiences that showcase real-world journeys toward increased impact. From the people from IMAGOgg.org DA - 2023/11// PY - 2023 PB - Bowker UR - https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Isabel-Guerrero/dp/B0CNWS7W64/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_es_US=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&keywords=Scaling+Up+Development+Impact&qid=1707861783&sr=8-1 Y2 - 2024/02/13/22:06:44 ER - TY - BOOK TI - Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things AU - Grant, Adam AB - #1 New York Times bestseller "This brilliant book will shatter your assumptions about what it takes to improve and succeed. I wish I could go back in time and gift it to my younger self. It would've helped me find a more joyful path to progress."-Serena Williams, 23-time Grand Slam singles tennis championThe #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again illuminates how we can elevate ourselves and others to unexpected heights.We live in a world that’s obsessed with talent. We celebrate gifted students in school, natural athletes in sports, and child prodigies in music. But admiring people who start out with innate advantages leads us to overlook the distances we ourselves can travel. We can all improve at improving. And when opportunity doesn’t knock, there are ways to build a door.Hidden Potential offers a new framework for raising aspirations and exceeding expectations. Adam Grant weaves together groundbreaking evidence, surprising insights, and vivid story­telling that takes us from the classroom to the boardroom, the playground to the Olympics, and underground to outer space. He shows that progress depends less on how hard you work than how well you learn. Growth is not about the genius you possess – it’s about the character you develop. Grant explores how to build the charac­ter skills and motivational structures to realize our own potential, and how to design systems that create opportunities for those who have been underrated and overlooked.This book reveals how anyone can rise to achieve greater things. The true measure of your potential is not the height of the peak you’ve reached, but how far you’ve climbed to get there. DA - 2023/10/26/ PY - 2023 DP - Amazon SP - 304 LA - English PB - WH Allen SN - 978-0-7535-6004-4 ST - Hidden Potential UR - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/157095669-hidden-potential ER - TY - BLOG TI - Storytelling and Evaluation: Can Pathways be the Theory Missing in Explanatory Narratives? AU - Guerzovich, Florencia T2 - Medium AB - Florencia Guerzovich DA - 2023/10/18/T10:30:01.863Z PY - 2023 LA - en ST - Storytelling and Evaluation UR - https://medium.com/@florcig/storytelling-and-evaluation-can-pathways-be-the-theory-missing-in-explanatory-narratives-0625a63adfc6 Y2 - 2023/11/14/23:11:00 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Changing theories AU - Aston, Thomas T2 - Medium AB - You may, or may not, be surprised to hear that many theories of change lack what we might generally understand as a theory. DA - 2023/10/15/T20:40:09.796Z PY - 2023 LA - en UR - https://thomasmtaston.medium.com/changing-theories-e857aa8fba05 Y2 - 2023/10/17/22:05:40 ER - TY - BLOG TI - How adaptive M&E from the peace sector can help demonstrate the value of aid AU - Kratzer, Sebastian AB - Over the last decade, the peace sector has been developing and adapting Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems and tools to fit their contexts and ways of working. This evolution may hold some insights for the aid community in how to go beyond more traditional, backwards-looking M&E to navigate today’s volatile, interest-based world of politics and aid. DA - 2023/10/13/ PY - 2023 UR - https://frompoverty.oxfam.org.uk/how-adaptive-me-from-the-peace-sector-can-help-demonstrate-the-value-of-aid/ Y2 - 2023/08/15/07:57:02 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Why are effective feedback mechanisms in cash transfers so important? AU - Jannat, Mahiratul T2 - CLARISSA AB - The CLARISSA Social Protection Intervention was set us as an innovative social policy intervention for tackling social ills, with a... DA - 2023/09/28/T14:53:21+00:00 PY - 2023 LA - en-US UR - https://clarissa.global/why-are-effective-feedback-mechanisms-in-cash-transfers-so-important/ Y2 - 2023/10/17/09:09:37 ER - TY - CONF TI - Participatory evaluation design and sense-making - making meaning through co-constructed lenses AU - King, Julian AU - Elliott, Kerry AU - Hollingsworth, Hilary T2 - Australian Evaluation Society International Evaluation Conference AB - Based on a presentation at Australian Evaluation Society International Evaluation Conference, Brisbane, 28 September 2023. The importance of participatory approaches to evaluation is well-understood. Involving the right people and balancing voices at the stakeholder table can help to make evaluations more valid, credible, useful, and actually used. Not all evaluations, however, are done in participatory ways. This presentation shares the experience of three evaluators in two recent projects with clients and stakeholders who were unaccustomed to participatory evaluation. In both cases, new ways of working were introduced, requiring participants to come into the evaluation tent, collaborate and learn with us. Engagement processes deliberately focused on incrementally building deep stakeholder input into evaluation design - including key evaluation questions, context analysis, program theory, rubrics, methods of data gathering, and reporting formats. The resulting evaluation frameworks represent an agreed, shared set of lenses for making sense of the evidence. Through this process, relationships and trust were cemented, stakeholders understood the evaluation process and endorsed the resulting frameworks. The client and sector have become more interested, more engaged stakeholders and more savvy evaluation participants and consumers. As the evaluations progress, the evaluation design builds in ongoing stakeholder involvement in reviewing emergent footprints of system change and making evaluative judgements. Participatory approaches are many, varied, and flexible. We will share our reflections and generalisable learning from the participatory approaches we applied in these evaluations. We will invite the audience to reflect on their own practices and experiences, and provoke them to consider whether participatory evaluation is 'just' a methodological option or a foundational element of good evaluation. C1 - Brisbane C3 - Evaluation and Value for Investment DA - 2023/09/28/ PY - 2023 UR - https://juliankingnz.substack.com/p/making-meaning-through-co-constructed?publication_id=1205622&utm_campaign=email-post-title&r=qn2r Y2 - 2023/09/28/10:10:21 ER - TY - BOOK TI - Foreign Aid and Its Unintended Consequences AU - Koch, Dirk-Jan AB - Foreign aid and international development frequently bring with it a range of unintended consequences, both negative and positive. This book delves into these consequences, providing a fresh and comprehensive guide to understanding and addressing them. The book starts by laying out a theoretical framework based on complexity thinking, before going on to explore the ten most prevalent kinds of unintended effects of foreign aid: backlash effects, conflict effects, migration and resettlement effects, price effects, marginalization effects, behavioural effects, negative spillover effects, governance effects, environmental effects, and ripple effects. Each chapter revolves around a set of concrete case studies, analysing the mechanisms underpinning the unintended effects and proposing ways in which policymakers, practitioners, and evaluators can tackle negative side effects and maximize positive side effects. The book also includes personal testimonies, a succinct overview of unintended effects, and suggestions for further reading. Providing a clear overview of what side effects to anticipate when planning, executing, and evaluating aid, this book will be an important resource for students, development practitioners, and policymakers alike. CY - London DA - 2023/09/27/ PY - 2023 SP - 236 PB - Routledge SN - 978-1-00-335685-1 ER - TY - JOUR TI - The curious case of the realist trial: Methodological oxymoron or unicorn? AU - Nielsen, Steffen Bohni AU - Jaspers, Sofie Østergaard AU - Lemire, Sebastian T2 - Evaluation AB - Realist evaluation and experimental designs are both well-established approaches to evaluation. Over the past 10 years, realist trials—evaluations purposefully combining realist evaluation and experimental designs—have emerged. Informed by a comprehensive review of published realist trials, this article examines to what extent and how realist trials align with quality standards for realist evaluations and randomized controlled trials and to what extent and how the realist and trial aspects of realist trials are integrated. We identified only few examples that met high-quality standards for both experimental and realist studies and that merged the two designs. DA - 2023/09/23/ PY - 2023 DO - 10.1177/13563890231200291 DP - SAGE Journals SP - 13563890231200291 LA - en SN - 1356-3890 ST - The curious case of the realist trial UR - https://doi.org/10.1177/13563890231200291 Y2 - 2023/10/23/10:45:35 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Causal mapping for evaluators AU - Powell, Steve AU - Copestake, James AU - Remnant, Fiona T2 - Evaluation AB - Evaluators are interested in capturing how things causally influence one another. They are also interested in capturing how stakeholders think things causally i... DA - 2023/09/14/ PY - 2023 DO - 10.1177/13563890231196601 DP - journals.sagepub.com LA - en UR - https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/K9VKYVWWVXZJCVCPNK9S/full AN - Sage UK: London, England Y2 - 2023/10/20/12:46:55 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Sense-making with stakeholders and rubrics AU - King, Julian T2 - Evaluation and Value for Investment AB - Principles and processes DA - 2023/09/10/ PY - 2023 M3 - Substack newsletter UR - https://juliankingnz.substack.com/p/sense-making-with-stakeholders-and?publication_id=1205622&utm_campaign=email-post-title&r=qn2r Y2 - 2023/09/29/10:31:41 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Is the problem driven iterative adaptation approach (PDIA) a panacea for public financial management reform? Evidence from six African countries AU - Lawson, Andrew AU - Harris, Jamelia T2 - World Development Perspectives AB - This article assesses the application of the problem driven iterative adaptation (PDIA) approach to public financial management reform in six African countries. It draws on primary data collected using a mix of interviews, overt participation observations and a short survey. PDIA responds to shortcomings in orthodox approaches to reform and technical assistance in developing countries. It stresses local solutions to local problems, achieved through experimentation and adaptation. The principles of PDIA are appealing, but its empirical assessment is in its infancy. This study aims to fill part of this gap. Findings show that PDIA delivers results in the short-term, particularly in cases where there is an influential authorising agent and dedicated team. Progress was less forthcoming for reforms that required high level political buy-in from senior officials. The approach does exceptionally well to develop staff capability, transferable skills, and local empowerment to solve local problems, thus potentially benefitting future reforms. DA - 2023/09/01/ PY - 2023 DO - 10.1016/j.wdp.2023.100526 DP - ScienceDirect VL - 31 SP - 100526 J2 - World Development Perspectives SN - 2452-2929 ST - Is the problem driven iterative adaptation approach (PDIA) a panacea for public financial management reform? UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452292923000425 Y2 - 2023/11/10/09:31:31 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Fractal approaches to scaling transformations to sustainability AU - O’Brien, Karen AU - Carmona, Rosario AU - Gram-Hanssen, Irmelin AU - Hochachka, Gail AU - Sygna, Linda AU - Rosenberg, Milda T2 - Ambio AB - Responses to sustainability challenges are not delivering results at the scale and speed called for by science, international agreements, and concerned citizens. Yet there is a tendency to underestimate the large-scale impacts of small-scale, local, and contextualized actions, and particularly the role of individuals in scaling transformations. Here, we explore a fractal approach to scaling sustainability transformations based on “universal values.” Universal values are proposed as intrinsic characteristics that connect humans and nature in a coherent, acausal way. Drawing on the Three Spheres of Transformation framework, we consider how enacting universal values can generate fractal-like patterns of sustainability that repeat recursively across scales. Fractal approaches shift the focus from scaling through “things” (e.g., technologies, behaviors, projects) to scaling through a quality of agency based on values that apply to all. We discuss practical steps involved in fractal approaches to scaling transformations to sustainability, provide examples, and conclude with questions for future research. DA - 2023/09/01/ PY - 2023 DO - 10.1007/s13280-023-01873-w DP - Springer Link VL - 52 IS - 9 SP - 1448 EP - 1461 J2 - Ambio LA - en SN - 1654-7209 UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-023-01873-w Y2 - 2024/02/15/11:36:48 KW - Agency KW - Fractals KW - Relational paradigms KW - Scaling KW - Three Spheres of Transformation KW - Universal values ER - TY - RPRT TI - Applying the River of Life Method to Support Reflection and Learning in Terre des hommes Nepal AU - Karki, Shanta AU - Giri, Roju AU - Neupane, Sudarshan AU - Snijder, Mieke AU - Apgar, Marina T2 - CLARISSA Learning Note AB - The RoL method is a visual narrative method that helps people tell stories of the past, present, and future. Individuals can use this method to introduce themselves in a fun and descriptive way. A group can use it to understand and reflect on the past and imagine the future of a project. Besides, it can also be used to build a shared view of a process over time while acknowledging different and perhaps contradictory perspectives. The method uses drawings rather than text, making it useful in groups that do not share a common language. Metaphors from a river are used to explore aspects of a story – such as whirlpools depicting challenges or lakes suggesting a sense of calm etc. When used in a group, it is an active method, engaging people in the process of storytelling and listening through visualising their experiences and using metaphors to explore in depth. In CLARISSA, we adapted the RoL method to document our collective understanding of the story of implementation of the programme as part of the programme’s monitoring, evaluation and learning component. The purpose was to surface the details of our process of the systemic Action Research that we are undertaking with children in the worst forms of child labour and business owners. We used the same river metaphors as is often applied when the method is used with individuals. CY - Brighton DA - 2023/09// PY - 2023 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Institute of Development Studies SN - 4 UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/18112 Y2 - 2023/10/05/09:07:58 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Gestión de la complejidad para el impacto sistémico: respuestas a entornos VUCA y BANI AU - Peña-López, Ismael T2 - SociedadRed AB - Research on the Information Society, the Digital Divide and Information and Communication Technologies for development DA - 2023/08/19/T18:21:41+00:00 PY - 2023 LA - es, net ST - SociedadRed » Gestión de la complejidad para el impacto sistémico UR - https://ictlogy.net/sociedadred/20230819-gestion-de-la-complejidad-para-el-impacto-sistemico-respuestas-a-entornos-vuca-y-bani/ Y2 - 2023/09/27/09:21:32 ER - TY - BLOG TI - From mouthset to mindset shifts in co-creating systems change AU - Blomkamp, Emma AU - Snow, Thea AU - Burkett, Ingrid T2 - Griffith Centre for Systems Innovation DA - 2023/08/08/T02:21:53.025Z PY - 2023 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/good-shift/from-mouthset-to-mindset-shifts-in-co-creating-systems-change-69caf9401f7b Y2 - 2023/11/07/11:01:50 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Adaptive Management Across Project Cycles: Look into Coherence in Time AU - Guerzovich, Florencia T2 - Medium AB - This is a series about Monitoring, Evaluating and Learning (MEL) whether sets of interventions/portfolios are adding more together than each one would produce on their own. In post 1, I pointed to coherence, the new OECD-DAC evaluation criteria as a way to bridge the ambition of bringing bigger change with the MEL world. In post 2, I shared 3 of 4 practical lessons I’ve learned in experimenting with MEL systems and exercises that focus explicitly on interactions of interventions/portfolios. In the third post, I bring Paul Pierson’s groundbreaking argument for social science to MEL. Paraphrasing, most contemporary MEL takes a “snapshot” view of interventions and portfolios, distorting their effects and meaning by ripping them from their temporal context. Instead, we should place in time interventions/portfolios with the ambition to add more than the sum of the part by constructing MEL systems looking at “moving pictures” rather than taking snapshots. ... DA - 2023/08/08/T10:27:08.510Z PY - 2023 LA - en ST - Adaptive Management Across Project Cycles UR - https://medium.com/@florcig/adaptive-management-across-project-cycles-look-into-coherence-in-time-ab99caa3a9e5 Y2 - 2023/08/10/09:00:46 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Three out of Four Practical Lessons about right fitting MEL for Additive Effects AU - Guerzovich, Florencia T2 - Medium AB - This is a series about Monitoring, Evaluating and Learning (MEL) whether sets of interventions/portfolios are adding more together than each one would produce on their own. In post 1, I pointed to coherence, the new OECD-DAC evaluation criteria as a way to bridge the ambition of bringing bigger change with the MEL world. In post 2, I shared 3 of 4 practical lessons I’ve learned in experimenting with MEL systems and exercises that focus explicitly on interactions of interventions/portfolios. In the third post, I bring Paul Pierson’s groundbreaking argument for social science to MEL. Paraphrasing, most contemporary MEL takes a “snapshot” view of interventions and portfolios, distorting their effects and meaning by ripping them from their temporal context. Instead, we should place in time interventions/portfolios with the ambition to add more than the sum of the part by constructing MEL systems looking at “moving pictures” rather than taking snapshots. DA - 2023/08/01/T10:15:56.957Z PY - 2023 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/@florcig/three-out-of-four-practical-lessons-about-right-fitting-mel-for-additive-effects-2e31de67fc71 Y2 - 2023/08/10/09:00:53 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Lasting Roots: Naatal Mbay and the Integrated Finance Model in Senegal AU - Fowler, Ben AU - Courbois, Laura T2 - MSP Ex-Post Study AB - This report addresses the well-recognized evidence gap1 on the longer-term impacts created by marketdriven programming; specifically, programming influenced by market systems development (MSD) principles. It does so by presenting the findings of an ex-post study conducted three and a half years after the close of USAID’s Feed the Future Senegal Naatal Mbay Activity (hereafter Naatal Mbay) in 2019. It examines the scale and sustainability of changes resulting from Naatal Mbay’s introduction of an integrated finance model (IFM) – described in Error! Reference source not found. below – in the domestic rice sector. This study is one in a series of ex-post evaluations that are being conducted between 2023-2026 on USAID-funded MSD interventions around the world. This study focused on four questions, noted below in Figure 1. These were addressed using a mix of desk research, 122 key informant interviews with market actors and other stakeholders remotely and in Senegal, focus group discussions with 26 rice producers networks in Senegal, and a validation workshop with USAID/Senegal, implementing partner staff and market actors. Findings were analyzed leveraging the Disrupting System Dynamics (DSD) framework (see Figure 4 in the body of the report) as an analytical tool for understanding systems change. CY - Washington DC DA - 2023/08// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - USAID UR - https://agrilinks.org/post/lasting-roots-ex-post-study-senegal-naatal-mbay-and-integrated-finance-model Y2 - 2023/10/02/00:00:00 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Does the whole add more than the SUM of its parts? AU - Guerzovich, Florencia T2 - Medium AB - This is a series about Monitoring, Evaluating and Learning (MEL) whether sets of interventions/portfolios are adding more together than each one would produce on their own. In post 1, I pointed to coherence, the new OECD-DAC evaluation criteria as a way to bridge the ambition of bringing bigger change with the MEL world. In post 2, I shared 3 of 4 practical lessons I’ve learned in experimenting with MEL systems and exercises that focus explicitly on interactions of interventions/portfolios. In the third post, I bring Paul Pierson’s groundbreaking argument for social science to MEL. Paraphrasing, most contemporary MEL takes a “snapshot” view of interventions and portfolios, distorting their effects and meaning by ripping them from their temporal context. Instead, we should place in time interventions/portfolios with the ambition to add more than the sum of the part by constructing MEL systems looking at “moving pictures” rather than taking snapshots. DA - 2023/07/25/T13:20:42.641Z PY - 2023 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/@florcig/does-the-whole-add-more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts-8b9eb352bb67 Y2 - 2023/08/10/09:00:51 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Different kinds of rubrics AU - King, Julian T2 - Evaluation and Value for Money AB - Generic, analytic, holistic, orbic, asterisc, escalieric, cephalopodic DA - 2023/07/25/ PY - 2023 M3 - Substack newsletter UR - https://juliankingnz.substack.com/p/different-kinds-of-rubrics Y2 - 2023/07/26/08:49:24 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Agile on steroids through the RenDanHeYi AU - Quintarelli, Emanuele T2 - Boundaryless AB - This article offers initial insights into the overlap, positioning, shared values, and convergences between RenDanHeYi compared to agile practices. DA - 2023/07/14/ PY - 2023 UR - https://www.boundaryless.io/blog/agile-on-steroids-rendanheyi/ Y2 - 2023/07/19/14:54:26 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Using a ‘Partnership Rubric’ in Participatory Evaluations AU - Snijder, Mieke AU - Hicks, Jacky AU - Paul, Sukanta AU - Arulanantham, Amit AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Afroze, Jiniya AU - Karki, Shanta AU - Mareschal, Sophie AU - Prieto Martín, Pedro AU - Uddin, Forhad AU - Veitch, Helen T2 - CLARISSA Learning Note AB - Programmes that aim to tackle complex societal issues, such as the worst forms of child labour, require rich partnerships that bring together different perspectives. CLARISSA’s consortium partnership adopts an empowerment approach to the interventions we deliver and our ways of working together. Part of this approach involves ongoing reflection and learning about how we work together in our partnership, and how this can be adapted if needed. This learning note focuses on a method used in CLARISSA to both reflect on and strengthen how we work in partnerships – the partnership rubric. We found that using the rubric flexibly was key to mitigating some of the challenges of such a complex consortium. This included using it in different sizes of forum, with different levels of preparation. Periodically adapting it for country context and as new partners came on board also helped ensure a shared sense of our preferred ways of working as the project progressed. CY - Brighton DA - 2023/07/12/ PY - 2023 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Institute of Development Studies SN - 3 UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/18051 Y2 - 2023/10/16/13:06:53 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Fast Forwarding to Systems Maps of Corruption: Getting to Usable Analysis More Quickly AU - Woodrow, Peter T2 - CJL AB - For AC practitioners, systems mapping is essential but also difficult. To lessen obstacles, Peter Woodrow proposes a scaffolded approach. An Experiment in “Fast Forwarding” Drawing upon our near-decade work on corruption, we recently decided to try an experiment: we would present “common patterns” of corruption as tentative models to adapt and add to—rather than try to teach people to do systems mapping from scratch. In this teaching experiment, each common pattern would function as a kind of “scaffolding” or framework that participants can build on to generate a cogent systems map as the basis for identifying possible points of intervention and subsequent program planning. DA - 2023/07/09/T23:09:19.358Z PY - 2023 LA - en ST - Fast Forwarding to Systems Maps of Corruption UR - https://www.corruptionjusticeandlegitimacy.org/post/fast-forwarding-to-systems-maps-of-corruption-getting-to-usable-analysis-more-quickly Y2 - 2023/10/02/09:57:50 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Theory of change software AU - Better Evaluation AB - There are a number of options when it comes to using software to help create a logic model. These range from generic word processing tools (Word, Powerpoint, or their Google Doc or Mac equivalents), to software that has been specifically tailored for visualising Theories of Change, like TOCO or Miradi. You should consider what resources you have to invest in software, both in terms of cost and in time to learn and use the features. If you only have a short timeframe and have simple needs, then a basic tool may suit you better than some of the more complex software available. It's important to investigate a few options and see what is going to be best for you. DA - 2023/07/03/ PY - 2023 LA - en UR - https://www.betterevaluation.org/tools-resources/theory-change-software Y2 - 2023/07/04/10:00:41 ER - TY - VIDEO TI - Practitioners Guidance to Assessing Systems Change: Co-Authors Preview AU - Gover, Dun AU - Nasution, Zulka AU - Okutu, David AU - Bolder, Meghan AU - Henao, Lina AB - Check out this video to see what’s inside our new resource: Practitioners' Guidance to Assessing Systems Change, developed by MEL Managers for MEL Managers. (Check out the Guidance here https://bit.ly/MSPMELClinics.) Hear from the authors about which parts they love the most and how this guide challenges MEL managers to assess systems change as an ongoing aspect of implementation, generating feedback that teams need to better understand and catalyze change, for more impact. DA - 2023/07// PY - 2023 PB - USAID UR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_szw6nIwbA Y2 - 2023/10/02/09:38:55 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Guide to Innovation Partnerships – A United Nations Ghide AU - Halse, Michelle AU - Ginsberg-Fletcher, Gabriella AU - Balbi, Luisa DA - 2023/07// PY - 2023 LA - en-US PB - UN Global Pulse UR - https://www.unglobalpulse.org/document/guide-to-innovation-partnerships/ Y2 - 2023/09/08/13:15:56 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Applying Adaptive Management in a Fragile Context – Case Study AU - Lonsdale, Jane AU - Green, Duncan AU - Robertson, Kelly AB - DT Global is proud to introduce our new Guidance Note: Practical Introduction to Adaptive Management There is a growing consensus around adaptive management as an effective (even necessary) approach when programs are tackling complex development problems. While there is no standard definition of adaptive management, there is general agreement that such programs need to routinely engage with and respond to program context; constantly test what works in that context; and adjust approaches, plans, and activities based on continuous learning. However, there remains a more limited body of evidence about what this looks like in practice—the enabling conditions, systems, resourcing, skills, and attitudes to effectively operationalise adaptive management. There is also limited guidance around when adaptive management is required, and to what extent—both critical and often overlooked considerations when planning for successful adaptive management. This Guidance Note draws together lessons and good practice in adaptive management from across DT Global’s diverse portfolio of donor-funded programs. It outlines our conceptual framework for adaptive management, with practical guidance on how it can be applied by our program teams. It is also designed to help our teams distinguish adaptive management from good (non adaptive) project management, consider when adaptive management is most useful on a program, and how adaptive a program (or part of a program) should be. DA - 2023/07// PY - 2023 PB - DT Global UR - https://dt-global.com/assets/files/dt-global-applying-adaptive-management-in-fragile-contexts-case-study.pdf Y2 - 2023/01/24/10:25:32 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Applied political economy analysis for human rights programs and campaigns: A guide for practitioners (second edition) AU - Pact AB - This updated guide provides practical guidance to practitioners in the human rights sector and beyond on how to integrate Applied Political Economy Analysis CY - Washington DC DA - 2023/07// PY - 2023 LA - en PB - Pact ST - Applied political economy analysis for human rights programs and campaigns UR - https://www.pactworld.org/library/applied-political-economy-analysis-human-rights-programs-and-campaigns-guide-practitioners Y2 - 2023/10/06/09:27:05 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Knowledge Retention and Transfer (KRT) - Model overview presentation AU - USAID AB - What problem is the KRT model trying to solve? For workforces that experience continuous staff turnover, the lack of systematic knowledge transfer can often lead to: - Loss of programmatic momentum, - Duplication of efforts and frustration, and - Wasted time and resources. The Knowledge Retention and Transfer (KRT) model provides tools, processes, and practices to individuals, teams, offices, and organizations to improve knowledge handover, which in turn improves efficiency and programmatic and operational learning. CY - Washington DC DA - 2023/07// PY - 2023 PB - USAID UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/sites/default/files/resource/files/version_2_cla_toolkit_staff_transitions_tool_20190613.pdf Y2 - 2023/10/26/09:40:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Value for Investment: Application and Insights. Youth Primary Mental Health and Addictions Evaluation AU - King, Julian AU - Crocket, Alicia AU - Field, Adrian AB - What’s in the guide? This new document provides: An overview of the VfI approach, including the conceptual principles and processes underpinning it A worked example of the approach in action: evaluating the Youth Primary Mental Health and Addictions initiative in New Zealand Transferrable learning for others considering the use of the VfI approach. CY - New Zealand DA - 2023/06/22/ PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - Dovetail Consulting UR - https://juliankingnz.substack.com/p/new-vfm-guide-for-evaluators ER - TY - BLOG TI - Evaluative reasoning in complexity AU - King, Julian T2 - Evaluation and Value for Investment DA - 2023/06/11/ PY - 2023 UR - https://juliankingnz.substack.com/p/evaluative-reasoning-in-complexity?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Y2 - 2024/01/04/23:23:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - When Complex is as Simple as it Gets: Guide for Recasting Policy and Management in the Anthropocene AU - Roe, Emery T2 - IDS Working Paper AB - Many readers recognise and understand that complex is about as simple as it gets for major policy and management. This guide is for those unwilling in the Anthropocene to shrink back into the older platitudes about ‘keep it simple’ and ‘not to worry, we’ll scale up the analysis later on’. This guide offers key concepts, methods, counternarratives, and analogies that recast major policy and management issues in ways that do not deny their complexity but help render them more tractable for action. CY - Brighton DA - 2023/06/06/ PY - 2023 LA - en PB - Institute for Development Studies SN - 589 ST - When Complex is as Simple as it Gets UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/18008 Y2 - 2023/06/09/16:11:13 ER - TY - MGZN TI - How to Build Movements with Cyclical Patterns in Mind - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly AU - Algoso, Dave AU - Guerzovich, Florencia AU - Gattoni, Soledad T2 - Nonprofit Quarterly AB - The world changes too much for anyone who is invested in social change work to imagine that this work is linear and predictable. Opportunities come and go, whether caused by a pandemic or political shifts. This much most social movement leaders and activists intuitively understand. But what can be done with this realization? How might movement groups better prepare for moments of opportunity? We want to explore how we can create the changes we want to see by responding to the changes that are outside our control. DA - 2023/06/05/ PY - 2023 UR - https://nonprofitquarterly.org/how-to-build-movements-with-cyclical-patterns-in-mind/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Y2 - 2023/10/03/11:30:33 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Mechanisms of Techno-Moral Change: A Taxonomy and Overview AU - Danaher, John AU - Sætra, Henrik Skaug T2 - Ethical Theory and Moral Practice AB - The idea that technologies can change moral beliefs and practices is an old one. But how, exactly, does this happen? This paper builds on an emerging field of inquiry by developing a synoptic taxonomy of the mechanisms of techno-moral change. It argues that technology affects moral beliefs and practices in three main domains: decisional (how we make morally loaded decisions), relational (how we relate to others) and perceptual (how we perceive situations). It argues that across these three domains there are six primary mechanisms of techno-moral change: (i) adding options; (ii) changing decision-making costs; (iii) enabling new relationships; (iv) changing the burdens and expectations within relationships; (v) changing the balance of power in relationships; and (vi) changing perception (information, mental models and metaphors). The paper also discusses the layered, interactive and second-order effects of these mechanisms. DA - 2023/06/01/ PY - 2023 DO - 10.1007/s10677-023-10397-x DP - Springer Link J2 - Ethic Theory Moral Prac LA - en SN - 1572-8447 ST - Mechanisms of Techno-Moral Change UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10677-023-10397-x Y2 - 2023/10/20/13:09:48 ER - TY - RPRT TI - CLARISSA Cash Plus: Innovative Social Protection in Bangladesh AU - Roelen, Keetie AU - Howard, Neil AU - Afroze, Jiniya AU - Aktar, Afrin AU - Ton, Giel AU - Huq, Lopita T2 - CLARISSA Design Note AB - Social protection, and cash transfers especially, have been found to have many positive impacts on families’ lives and are now widely recognised as a cornerstone of any prosperous, fair society. The CLARISSA Cash Plus intervention is an innovative social protection scheme for tackling social ills, including the worst forms of child labour (WFCL). Combining community mobilisation, case work and cash transfers, it aims to support people in a poor neighbourhood in Dhaka to build their individual, family, and group capacities to meet their needs. An increase in capacities is expected to lead to a corresponding decrease in deprivation and community-identified social issues that negatively affect wellbeing, including WFCL. CY - Brighton DA - 2023/06// PY - 2023 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Institute of Development Studies SN - 1 ST - CLARISSA Cash Plus UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/18034 Y2 - 2023/10/26/09:36:06 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Participation for Humanitarian Innovation - Background Paper AU - Smith, Amy AU - Thompson, Martha AU - Saida Benhayoune AU - Crespo Cardona, Omar AB - A resource designed to help organisations, teams and individuals manage innovation journeys responsibly and successfully. We have partnered with MIT D-Lab to develop a new resource to drive greater diversity and inclusion within project design and implementation. The Participation for Humanitarian Innovation (PfHI) toolkit sets out a robust approach to setting expectations for and monitoring the degree of participation within research and innovation projects for, with, and by people affected by crisis. The PfHI toolkit is composed of five tools: Opportunity Adviser: Identify and prioritise the desired benefits of participation while weighing the potential barriers. Participation Matrix: Agree on the precise degree of participation to target at a given project stage. Resource Navigator: Select tools and processes to address the needs of stakeholders, the project objectives and context. Quality Guidance: Ensure engagements are delivered to the highest standard. Assessment Matrix: Collectively evaluate the degree of participation achieved during an activity or project phase, learn and adapt. By applying these tools before, during and after a research and/or innovation project, implementors can ensure that stakeholders/end-users are included and participating at the highest possible degree. We encourage users of the PfHI toolkit to consider how else to integrate the tools into existing practices. For instance, the Evaluation Matrix could be used to supplement existing MEAL activities to: Establish baselines to measure changes in participation over time. Track the degree of participation/engagement of stakeholders. Regularly assess the degree of participation. Seek feedback from participants about the degree of their participation. Monitor the progress of activities related to stakeholder engagement. Our Participation for Humanitarian Innovation toolkit represents our ongoing commitment to responsible research and innovation across our portfolio of grants and for the humanitarian sector more broadly. We hope you will consider downloading and using the toolkit on your next project. CY - London DA - 2023/06// PY - 2023 LA - en-GB PB - Elrha UR - https://www.elrha.org/researchdatabase/participation-for-humanitarian-innovation/ Y2 - 2023/06/14/23:39:03 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Participation for Humanitarian Innovation - Toolkit AU - Smith, Amy AU - Thompson, Martha AU - Saida Benhayoune AU - Crespo Cardona, Omar AB - A resource designed to help organisations, teams and individuals manage innovation journeys responsibly and successfully. We have partnered with MIT D-Lab to develop a new resource to drive greater diversity and inclusion within project design and implementation. The Participation for Humanitarian Innovation (PfHI) toolkit sets out a robust approach to setting expectations for and monitoring the degree of participation within research and innovation projects for, with, and by people affected by crisis. The PfHI toolkit is composed of five tools: Opportunity Adviser: Identify and prioritise the desired benefits of participation while weighing the potential barriers. Participation Matrix: Agree on the precise degree of participation to target at a given project stage. Resource Navigator: Select tools and processes to address the needs of stakeholders, the project objectives and context. Quality Guidance: Ensure engagements are delivered to the highest standard. Assessment Matrix: Collectively evaluate the degree of participation achieved during an activity or project phase, learn and adapt. By applying these tools before, during and after a research and/or innovation project, implementors can ensure that stakeholders/end-users are included and participating at the highest possible degree. We encourage users of the PfHI toolkit to consider how else to integrate the tools into existing practices. For instance, the Evaluation Matrix could be used to supplement existing MEAL activities to: Establish baselines to measure changes in participation over time. Track the degree of participation/engagement of stakeholders. Regularly assess the degree of participation. Seek feedback from participants about the degree of their participation. Monitor the progress of activities related to stakeholder engagement. Our Participation for Humanitarian Innovation toolkit represents our ongoing commitment to responsible research and innovation across our portfolio of grants and for the humanitarian sector more broadly. We hope you will consider downloading and using the toolkit on your next project. CY - London DA - 2023/06// PY - 2023 LA - en-GB PB - Elrha UR - https://www.elrha.org/researchdatabase/participation-for-humanitarian-innovation/ Y2 - 2023/06/14/23:39:03 ER - TY - RPRT TI - USAID ADS 201 - Operational Policy for the Program Cycle (Update 05/22/2023) AU - USAID AB - The Program Cycle is USAID’s operational model for planning, delivering, assessing, and adapting development programming in a given region or country to advance U.S. foreign policy. It encompasses guidance and procedures for: 1) Making strategic decisions at the regional or country level about programmatic areas of focus and associated resources; 2) Designing supportive projects and/or activities to implement these strategic plans; and 3) Learning from performance monitoring, evaluations, and other relevant sources of information to make course corrections as needed and inform future programming. CY - Washington DC DA - 2023/05/22/ PY - 2023 DP - Zotero SP - 151 LA - en PB - USAID UR - https://www.usaid.gov/about-us/agency-policy/series-200/201 Y2 - 2024/02/22/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - The adoption of innovation in international development organisations: lessons for development co-operation AU - Kumpf, Benjamin AU - Jhunjhunwala, Parnika T2 - OECD Development Co-operation Working Papers AB - Addressing 21st century development challenges requires investments in innovation, including the use of new approaches and technologies. Currently, many development organisations prioritise investments in isolated innovation pilots that leverage a specific approach or technology rather than pursuing a strategic approach to expand the organisation’s toolbox with innovations that have proven their comparative advantage over what is currently used. This Working Paper addresses this challenge of adopting innovations. How can development organisations institutionalise a new way of working, bringing what was once novel to the core of how business is done? Analysing successful adoption efforts across five DAC agencies, the paper lays out a proposed process for the adoption of innovations. The paper features five case-studies and concludes with a set of lessons and recommendations for policy makers on innovation management generally, and adoption of innovation in particular. CY - Paris DA - 2023/05// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - OECD Publishing SN - 112 UR - https://doi.org/10.1787/21f63c69-en Y2 - 2023/09/14/00:00:00 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Participatory action research AU - Cornish, Flora AU - Breton, Nancy AU - Moreno-Tabarez, Ulises AU - Delgado, Jenna AU - Rua, Mohi AU - de-Graft Aikins, Ama AU - Hodgetts, Darrin T2 - Nature Reviews Methods Primers AB - Participatory action research (PAR) is an approach to research that prioritizes the value of experiential knowledge for tackling problems caused by unequal and harmful social systems, and for envisioning and implementing alternatives. PAR involves the participation and leadership of those people experiencing issues, who take action to produce emancipatory social change, through conducting systematic research to generate new knowledge. This Primer sets out key considerations for the design of a PAR project. The core of the Primer introduces six building blocks for PAR project design: building relationships; establishing working practices; establishing a common understanding of the issue; observing, gathering and generating materials; collaborative analysis; and planning and taking action. We discuss key challenges faced by PAR projects, namely, mismatches with institutional research infrastructure; risks of co-option; power inequalities; and the decentralizing of control. To counter such challenges, PAR researchers may build PAR-friendly networks of people and infrastructures; cultivate a critical community to hold them to account; use critical reflexivity; redistribute powers; and learn to trust the process. PAR’s societal contribution and methodological development, we argue, can best be advanced by engaging with contemporary social movements that demand the redressingl of inequities and the recognition of situated expertise. DA - 2023/04/27/ PY - 2023 DO - 10.1038/s43586-023-00214-1 DP - www.nature.com VL - 3 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 14 J2 - Nat Rev Methods Primers LA - en SN - 2662-8449 UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s43586-023-00214-1 Y2 - 2023/10/06/13:02:25 ER - TY - ELEC TI - Bark AI: Text-to-Speech Artificial Intelligence Voice Cloning App & Text-Prompted Generative Audio T2 - SERP AI AB - 🎁Get our BARK Text-to-Speech Model Free at the bottom of this post! Bark is a revolutionary text-to-audio model created by Suno, based on the GPT-style models, which can generate highly realistic, multilingual speech as well as other audio — including music, background noise, and simple sound effects. With Bark, users can DA - 2023/04/23/T09:58:20.000Z PY - 2023 LA - en ST - Bark AI UR - https://serp.ai/tools/bark-text-to-speech-ai-voice-clone-app/ Y2 - 2024/01/21/17:13:51 ER - TY - BLOG TI - A new pathway: how can funders support meaningful monitoring, evaluation, and learning practice in the field? - Blog post on Better Evaluation AU - Acevedo, Andrea AU - Colnar, Megan AB - How can donors and grantees work together to create effective monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) practices that drive field-wide transformation? DA - 2023/04/10/ PY - 2023 LA - en M3 - Better Evaluation ST - A new pathway UR - https://www.betterevaluation.org/blog/new-pathway-how-can-funders-support-meaningful-monitoring-evaluation-learning-practice-field Y2 - 2023/07/04/09:46:07 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Building Capacity for Strategic Innovation: an Emerging Competency Framework for Portfolio Work AU - Begovic, Milica AU - Colville, Jenniffer AU - Quaggiotto, Giulio AU - Vester, Søren AU - Naatujuna, Deborah AU - Oprunenco, Alex AU - Sadiku AU - Lejla AU - Uusikyla, Ida AU - Uriartt, Simone AU - Zorouali, Kawtar T2 - Medium AB - In a previous post we reflected on how a key learning from our “project to portfolio” journey to date is that it is ultimately about mustering the organizational will to transform. If the early days of our innovation work were about demonstrating results quickly and creating space for experimentation, now the challenge is of a different order. Eventually this means helping UNDP transition to a different value proposition and business model, as eloquently articulated by Gerd Trogemann: “No matter how well conceived and relevant in their own right, projects tend to pursue single point rather than systemic solutions, limit strategic space and the ability to adapt continuously and to connect the dots systemically. Systemic solutions need adaptive ways of working, strategic space, iterative learning, and radical collaboration.” DA - 2023/04/08/T16:29:58.340Z PY - 2023 LA - en ST - Building Capacity for Strategic Innovation UR - https://medium.com/@undp.innovation/building-capacity-for-strategic-innovation-an-emerging-competency-framework-for-portfolio-work-fadb768242be Y2 - 2023/11/07/11:23:07 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Revealing the Relational Mechanisms of Research for Development Through Social Network Analysis AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Fournie, Guillaume AU - Haesler, Barbara AU - Higdon, Grace Lyn AU - Kenny, Leah AU - Oppel, Annalena AU - Pauls, Evelyn AU - Smith, Matthew AU - Snijder, Mieke AU - Vink, Daan AU - Hossain, Mazeda T2 - The European Journal of Development Research AB - Achieving impact through research for development programmes (R4D) requires engagement with diverse stakeholders across the research, development and policy divides. Understanding how such programmes support the emergence of outcomes, therefore, requires a focus on the relational aspects of engagement and collaboration. Increasingly, evaluation of large research collaborations is employing social network analysis (SNA), making use of its relational view of causation. In this paper, we use three applications of SNA within similar large R4D programmes, through our work within evaluation of three Interidsiplinary Hubs of the Global Challenges Research Fund, to explore its potential as an evaluation method. Our comparative analysis shows that SNA can uncover the structural dimensions of interactions within R4D programmes and enable learning about how networks evolve through time. We reflect on common challenges across the cases including navigating different forms of bias that result from incomplete network data, multiple interpretations across scales, and the challenges of making causal inference and related ethical dilemmas. We conclude with lessons on the methodological and operational dimensions of using SNA within monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) systems that aim to support both learning and accountability. DA - 2023/04/01/ PY - 2023 DO - 10.1057/s41287-023-00576-y DP - Springer Link VL - 35 IS - 2 SP - 323 EP - 350 J2 - Eur J Dev Res LA - en SN - 1743-9728 UR - https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-023-00576-y Y2 - 2023/04/13/11:11:00 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Evaluating Research for Development: Innovation to Navigate Complexity AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Snijder, Mieke AU - Higdon, Grace Lyn AU - Szabo, Sylvia T2 - The European Journal of Development Research AB - Large publicly funded programmes of research continue to receive increased investment as interventions aiming to produce impact for the world’s poorest and most marginalized populations. At this intersection of research and development, research is expected to contribute to complex processes of societal change. Embracing a co-produced view of impact as emerging along uncertain causal pathways often without predefined outcomes calls for innovation in the use of complexity-aware approaches to evaluation. The papers in this special issue present rich experiences of authors working across sectors and geographies, employing methodological innovation and navigating power as they reconcile tensions. They illustrate the challenges with (i) evaluating performance to meet accountability demands while fostering learning for adaptation; (ii) evaluating prospective theories of change while capturing emergent change; (iii) evaluating internal relational dimensions while measuring external development outcomes; (iv) evaluating across scales: from measuring local level end impact to understanding contributions to systems level change. Taken as a whole, the issue illustrates how the research for development evaluation field is maturing through the experiences of a growing and diverse group of researchers and evaluators as they shift from using narrow accountability instruments to appreciating emergent causal pathways within research for development. DA - 2023/04/01/ PY - 2023 DO - 10.1057/s41287-023-00577-x DP - Springer Link VL - 35 IS - 2 SP - 241 EP - 259 J2 - Eur J Dev Res LA - en SN - 1743-9728 ST - Evaluating Research for Development UR - https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-023-00577-x Y2 - 2023/04/13/12:37:22 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Theory of Change in complex Research for Development programmes: challenges and solutions from the Global Challenges Research Fund AU - Chapman, Sarah AU - Boodhoo, Adiilah AU - Duffy, Carren AU - Goodman, Suki AU - Michalopoulou, Maria T2 - The European Journal of Development Research AB - The United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) aimed to address global challenges to achieve the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals through 12 interdisciplinary research hubs. This research documents key lessons learned around working with Theory of Change (ToC) to guide Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) within these complex research for development hubs. Interviews and document reviews were conducted in ten of the research hubs. The results revealed that only one hub invested in an explicit visual system mapping approach, and that funder timelines, budget constraints and issues with capacity and expertise limited the application of these approaches across all hubs. In contrast, many hubs attempted to deal with visual complexity by means of ether constructing multiple, nested ToCs, or a conscious simplification of complexity through reducing their ToC towards a straightforward and uncomplicated chain model or spherical model. While the former approach had some value, most hubs struggled to find capacity to support the full articulation of nested ToCs. In contrast, the latter approach resulted in ToCs which lacked detail or mechanism articulation, but which nevertheless were often ‘fit for purpose’ in ensuring effective communication and coherence across diverse stakeholders and sub-projects. We conclude that in instances where the reporting, funding and management cycles of complex research for development programmes cannot be adapted to properly support learning-based approaches to ToC development, imposing simplicity in the ToC might be fit for purpose. This might also be preferable to more complex visual approaches that are only partially realised. DA - 2023/04/01/ PY - 2023 DO - 10.1057/s41287-023-00574-0 DP - Springer Link VL - 35 IS - 2 SP - 298 EP - 322 J2 - Eur J Dev Res LA - en SN - 1743-9728 ST - Theory of Change in Complex Research for Development Programmes UR - https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-023-00574-0 Y2 - 2023/04/13/11:21:03 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Cost–Benefit Analysis (CBA) or the Highway? An Alternative Road to Investigating the Value for Money of International Development Research AU - Peterson, Heidi T2 - The European Journal of Development Research AB - Research for development (R4D) funding is increasingly expected to demonstrate value for money (VfM). However, the dominance of positivist approaches to evaluating VfM, such as cost-benefit analysis, do not fully account for the complexity of R4D funds and risk undermining efforts to contribute to transformational development. This paper posits an alternative approach to evaluating VfM, using the UK’s Global Challenges Research Fund and the Newton Fund as case studies. Based on a constructivist approach to valuing outcomes, this approach applies a collaboratively developed rubric-based peer review to a sample of projects. This is more appropriate for the complexity of R4D interventions, particularly when considering uncertain and emergent outcomes over a long timeframe. This approach could be adapted to other complex interventions, demonstrating that our options are not merely “CBA or the highway” and there are indeed alternative routes to evaluating VfM. DA - 2023/04/01/ PY - 2023 DO - 10.1057/s41287-022-00565-7 DP - Springer Link VL - 35 IS - 2 SP - 260 EP - 280 J2 - Eur J Dev Res LA - en SN - 1743-9728 ST - Cost–Benefit Analysis (CBA) or the Highway? UR - https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-022-00565-7 Y2 - 2023/04/13/12:38:56 ER - TY - JOUR TI - How are Research for Development Programmes Implementing and Evaluating Equitable Partnerships to Address Power Asymmetries? AU - Snijder, Mieke AU - Steege, Rosie AU - Callander, Michelle AU - Wahome, Michel AU - Rahman, M. Feisal AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Theobald, Sally AU - Bracken, Louise J. AU - Dean, Laura AU - Mansaray, Bintu AU - Saligram, Prasanna AU - Garimella, Surekha AU - Arthurs-Hartnett, Sophia AU - Karuga, Robinson AU - Mejía Artieda, Adriana Elizabeth AU - Chengo, Victoria AU - Ateles, Joanes T2 - The European Journal of Development Research AB - The complexity of issues addressed by research for development (R4D) requires collaborations between partners from a range of disciplines and cultural contexts. Power asymmetries within such partnerships may obstruct the fair distribution of resources, responsibilities and benefits across all partners. This paper presents a cross-case analysis of five R4D partnership evaluations, their methods and how they unearthed and addressed power asymmetries. It contributes to the field of R4D partnership evaluations by detailing approaches and methods employed to evaluate these partnerships. Theory-based evaluations deepened understandings of how equitable partnerships contribute to R4D generating impact and centring the relational side of R4D. Participatory approaches that involved all partners in developing and evaluating partnership principles ensured contextually appropriate definitions and a focus on what partners value. DA - 2023/04/01/ PY - 2023 DO - 10.1057/s41287-023-00578-w DP - Springer Link VL - 35 IS - 2 SP - 351 EP - 379 J2 - Eur J Dev Res LA - en SN - 1743-9728 UR - https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-023-00578-w Y2 - 2023/04/13/11:06:18 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Laying the Foundations for Impact: Lessons from the GCRF Evaluation AU - Vogel, Isabel AU - Barnett, Chris T2 - The European Journal of Development Research AB - Research for development (R4D) aims to make a tangible difference to development challenges, but these effects typically take years to emerge. Evaluation (especially impact evaluation) often takes place before there is evidence of development impact. In this paper, we focus on opportunities for assessing the potential for impact at earlier stages in the research and innovation process. We argue that such a focus can help research programme managers and evaluators learn about the pre-conditions for impact and adjust accordingly. Using the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) as a large-scale case of R4D evaluation, we identify and explore some of the building blocks that can increase impact potential. Guided by GCRF’s theory of change, we explore emerging evidence that highlights the importance of ways of working that supports positioning for impact. We conclude by drawing out a unifying construct around standards of development excellence; to sit alongside notions of scientific excellence for research intended to have an impact. Standards can help programme managers, researchers and evaluators learn and adapt to increase the likelihood of impact. DA - 2023/04/01/ PY - 2023 DO - 10.1057/s41287-023-00579-9 DP - Springer Link VL - 35 IS - 2 SP - 281 EP - 297 J2 - Eur J Dev Res LA - en SN - 1743-9728 ST - Laying the Foundations for Impact UR - https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-023-00579-9 Y2 - 2023/04/13/11:46:51 ER - TY - BOOK TI - The Last 10 Per Cent: Why the World Needs a Leaner, More Innovative and Pragmatic Development Sector, Today AU - Harper, Erica AB - Criticism that the development sector has not delivered in terms of eliminating extreme poverty, fast-tracking growth and preventing conflict, is neither new nor surprising. In fact, it may be the one thing that scholars, donors and practitioners agree on. While many of these concerns are valid, this book makes a case that the sector is closer to unlocking the gates to more effective and efficient development outcomes than is popularly believed. Specifically, it argues that by overturning a few myths, making better use of evidence and employing some different rules, practitioners, policy specialists and donors can foster the changes in the development architecture that are needed to reach the 10 percent of the world’s population still living in extreme poverty.Engaging, provocative and clear sighted, the book provides insight into interventions around democratic governance, refugee response, counterterrorism, gender mainstreaming, environmental protection and private sector engagement. It is instructive reading for professionals across the development sector, think tanks and NGOs. CY - New York DA - 2023/03/28/ PY - 2023 DP - Amazon SP - 208 LA - English PB - Routledge India SN - 978-1-03-215278-3 ST - The Last 10 Per Cent UR - https://www.routledge.com/The-Last-10-Per-Cent-Why-the-World-Needs-a-Leaner-More-Innovative-and/Harper/p/book/9781032454344 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Berkana Two Loop Model: A quick introduction to an accessible model for systems change AU - Proud, Emma T2 - LinkedIn - Emma Proud AB - A model I've been using a lot recently, to bring systems thinking to life, is the Berkana Two Loop model. It doesn't describe complexity or systems thinking. But it does describe systems change in a way that's simple and oriented to action. DA - 2023/03/28/ PY - 2023 UR - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/berkana-two-loop-model-quick-introduction-accessible-systems-proud/?ref=hellobrink.co Y2 - 2023/10/31/11:40:43 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Process Tracing Innovations in Practice: Finding the Middle Path AU - Aston, Thomas AU - Wadeson, Alix T2 - CDI Practice Paper AB - Evaluation practitioners in the international development sector have given considerable attention in recent years to process tracing as a method for evaluating impact, including discussion of how to assess the relative importance of causal factors. Despite the increasing interest, there is a relative dearth of examples of practical learning and evidence of applying process tracing in practice. This CDI Practice Paper draws on comparative learning from applying three different types of process tracing in international development initiatives. It argues in favour of a ‘middle path’ of applying evidence tests and rubrics to structure evaluative judgements rather than formal Bayesian updating or looser forms of process tracing. It also calls attention to the potential added value of taking a participatory approach, offering practical recommendations for how to do this effectively. CY - Brighton DA - 2023/03/27/ PY - 2023 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Institute of Development Studies SN - 25 ST - Process Tracing Innovations in Practice UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17913 Y2 - 2023/03/28/09:32:09 ER - TY - RPRT TI - The Secret Sauce of Development Professionals: Tools for Assessing TOR Potential to Source Scalable Learning Interventions AU - Barton, Adam AB - Terms of reference (TORs) play an outsized role in driving scalable educational programming. These procurement documents shape, constrain, and signal programme priorities and possibilities. Successful funders and implementers across the globe hold rich processual knowledge about this documentation, which they use to draft and assess TORs. This project explores such best-practice knowledge around TOR review, seeking to support the design and implementation of educational programmes that can improve learning at scale in developing contexts. DA - 2023/03/15/ PY - 2023 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) LA - en PB - Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE) ST - The Secret Sauce of Development Professionals UR - https://riseprogramme.org/publications/secret-sauce-development-professionals-tools-assessing-tor-potential-source-scalable-0 Y2 - 2023/04/13/09:41:24 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Reflections on Ten Years of USAID’s Experience with Political Economy Analysis and Thinking and Working Politically AU - Brinkerhoff, Derick AU - Cassidy, Marc AB - The global Thinking and Working Politically (TWP) Community of Practice (CoP), the Washington DC TWP CoP, and USAID organised a webinar on 5 December 2022 to take stock of how USAID and its partners have used PEA to inform programme strategy, design and implementation, and support TWP. This paper synthesises the key points arising from the webinar, including observations on the impacts, opportunities, challenges, and prospects for PEA/TWP to become more deeply adopted and sustained as a development methodology and approach across sectors. It starts by defining key concepts. It then highlights insights from the discussions of the impact of the application of PEA and TWP principles across sectors. The paper concludes by looking at progress achieved to date, as well as constraints and opportunities to increase the uptake of both thinking and working politically in USAID-sponsored programming. CY - Birmingham DA - 2023/03// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - TWP CoP ER - TY - RPRT TI - Adaptive Evaluation: A Complexity-based approach to Systematic Learning for Innovation and Scaling in Development AU - Gokhale, Siddhant AU - Walton, Michael T2 - CID Faculty Working Paper AB - Nearly all challenges in international development tend to be complex because they depend on constantly evolving human behaviour, systems, and contexts, involving multiple actors, entities, and processes. As a result, both the discovery and scaling of innovations to address challenges in development often involve changes in system behaviour or even system-level transformation. This is rarely a linear process over time and can result in unexpected outcomes. Existing evaluation techniques commonly used in international development, including Randomized Control Trials (RCT) and quasi-experimental methods, are good at assessing specific effects of interventions but are not designed for the change processes inherent to innovation and scaling within a system. There is a need to reconstruct how we use existing measurement tools, techniques, and methodologies so that they capture the complexity of the environment in which an intervention or change occurs. We introduce Adaptive Evaluation, designed to learn at various levels of complexity while supporting the transformation needed to foster sustainable change. An Adaptive Evaluation uses three main approaches to work with complex questions—systems diagnosis, theorybased assessment of change processes, and iterative designs. An Adaptive Evaluation typically builds hypotheses from field-based interactions, emphasizes learning over testing, advocates open-mindedness with techniques, and appreciates the value of dialogue and participation in navigating complex processes. It can use RCT or similar techniques to analyse specific processes within a system or a development cycle, but these are embedded in a broader approach to assessment and interpretation. It is designed to be flexible and adjust to shifting contexts. Finally, an Adaptive Evaluation can be applied at any stage in a complex intervention's lifecycle, from the interpretation of the system and change processes to rapid experimentation, prototyping, and testing of select interventions, and then adaptation to different settings for impact at scale. This paper provides the theoretical basis for an Adaptive Evaluation—the main approaches, core ideology, process, and applications. CY - Boston DA - 2023/03// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - Center for International Development, Harvard University SN - 428 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Glass Half Full: Civic Space and Contestation in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal AU - Surie, Mandakini D. AU - Saluja, Sumaya AU - Nixon, Nicola AB - The past decade has witnessed a surge of interest in and concern over the global trend toward democratic regression. In South Asia, regulatory and institutional frameworks have become increasingly restrictive, curbing the ability of citizens and civil society organizations to occupy and use civic spaces to organize, express themselves, and participate in decisions that affect the lives of people whose interests they serve. Of course, this is only one half of the story. The other half is how citizens, collectives, and organizations adapt by carving out spaces where they can maintain—or even expand—the boundaries of their engagement in local and national civic spaces. In this paper, we examine how civic spaces are evolving in three South Asian countries—Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal—drawing on the experiences and perspectives of civil society representatives. The paper concludes with recommendations for donors and development practitioners on how they can make relevant investments that will strengthen civic spaces and support democratic resilience in the region. CY - San Francisco, CA DA - 2023/03// PY - 2023 LA - en-US PB - The Asia Foundation ST - GovAsia – Glass Half Full UR - https://asiafoundation.org/publication/govasia-glass-half-full-civic-space-and-contestation-in-bangladesh-sri-lanka-and-nepal/ Y2 - 2023/11/22/10:37:55 ER - TY - BOOK TI - The Big Con: How the Consulting Industry Weakens our Businesses, Infantilizes our Governments and Warps our Economies AU - Mazzucato, Mariana AU - Collington, Rosie AB - There is an entrenched relationship between the consulting industry and the way business and government are managed today which must change.Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington show that our economies' reliance on companies such as McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Company, PwC, Deloitte, KPMG and EY stunts innovation, obfuscates corporate and political accountability and impedes our collective mission of halting climate breakdown.The 'Big Con' describes the confidence trick the consulting industry performs in contracts with hollowed-out and risk-averse governments and shareholder value-maximizing firms. It grew from the 1980s and 1990s in the wake of reforms by both the neoliberal right and Third Way progressives, and it thrives on the ills of modern capitalism, from financialization and privatization to the climate crisis. It is possible because of the unique power that big consultancies wield through extensive contracts and networks - as advisors, legitimators and outsourcers - and the illusion that they are objective sources of expertise and capacity. To make matters worse, our best and brightest graduates are often redirected away from public service into consulting. In all these ways, the Big Con weakens our businesses, infantilizes our governments and warps our economies.Mazzucato and Collington expertly debunk the myth that consultancies always add value to the economy. With a wealth of original research, they argue brilliantly for investment and collective intelligence within all organizations and communities, and for a new system in which public and private sectors work innovatively for the common good. We must recalibrate the role of consultants and rebuild economies and governments that are fit for purpose. DA - 2023/02/23/ PY - 2023 DP - Amazon SP - 368 LA - English PB - Allen Lane SN - 978-0-241-57308-2 ST - The Big Con ER - TY - BOOK TI - How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors Behind Every Successful Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration AU - Flyvbjerg, Bent AU - Gardner, Dan AB - World expert Bent Flyvbjerg and bestselling author Dan Gardner reveal the secrets to successfully planning and delivering ambitious projects on any scale.Nothing is more inspiring than a big vision that becomes a triumphant new reality. Think of how Apple’s iPod went from a project with a single employee to an enormously successful product launch in eleven months. But such successes are the exception. Consider how London’s Crossrail project delivered five years late and billions over budget. More modest endeavours, whether launching a small business, organizing a conference, or just finishing a work project on time, also commonly fail. Why?Understanding what distinguishes the triumphs from the failures has been the life’s work of Oxford professor Bent Flyvbjerg. In How Big Things Get Done, he identifies the errors that lead projects to fail, and the research-based principles that will make yours succeed:- Understand your odds. If you don’t know them, you won’t win.- Plan slow, act fast. Getting to the action quick feels right. But it’s wrong.- Think right to left. Start with your goal, then identify the steps to get there.- Find your Lego. Big is best built from small.- Master the unknown unknowns. Most think they can’t, so they fail. Flyvbjerg shows how you can.Full of vivid examples ranging from the building of the Sydney Opera House to the making of the latest Pixar blockbusters, How Big Things Get Done reveals how to get any ambitious project done – on time and on budget. DA - 2023/02/16/ PY - 2023 DP - Amazon SP - 304 LA - English PB - Macmillan SN - 978-1-03-501893-2 ST - How Big Things Get Done ER - TY - BOOK TI - Don't Lead Alone: Think Like a System, Act Like a Network, Lead Like a Movement! AU - Justis, Cleveland AU - Student, Daniel AB - Think. Act. Lead.It seems simple enough. But understanding your desired impact and how it fits into a larger picture, connecting your work to others and finding new collaborators, and bringing those collaborators together and moving them in a unified direction is never easy.Governments, businesses, and nonprofits all have unique approaches and ideas that many of us learn through our work. Yet, we rarely consider the skills needed to create and maintain the partnerships between them. Most of us learn those skills through trial, error, and often, failure. Worse, we typically stay in our self-reinforcing silos, sharing perspectives and frustrations with like-minded people, limiting our vision of what our work can become. By partnering with other sectors, we combine and adapt approaches to solve complex problems, and leaders in any industry can create large-scale change.Cleveland Justis and Daniel Student share a road map for effective partnerships that increase impact and profitability. Using real-life examples and practice exercises, the authors teach how to acquire and use skills to solve complex problems and propel your organization forward by combining a multitude of perspectives, split into three sections:Think Like a SystemAct Like a NetworkLead Like a MovementIt’s time to get out of our silos. Don’t lead alone. DA - 2023/02/13/ PY - 2023 DP - Amazon SP - 254 LA - Inglés PB - Fast Company Press SN - 978-1-63908-040-3 ST - Don't Lead Alone ER - TY - RPRT TI - Celebrating Adaptive Delivery: A View from the Frontline in Myanmar AU - Barnes, Katrina AU - Lonsdale, Jane T2 - IDS Working Paper AB - The conversation on adaptive management has grown fast amongst development actors. These conversations often focus on designing, commissioning, and managing large-scale development programmes. Exactly how this impacts the frontline, the implementers, and day-to-day project delivery is still being debated. Yet, perspectives drawn directly from practice are often largely missing within these debates. This paper is written by two development practitioners. Through this paper, we reflect on the difference between adaptive management and adaptive delivery, and how this interacts with risk and aid accountability, particularly in contexts of fragility. Drawing on examples of Oxfam in Myanmar work and our personal insights in relation to delivering programming across humanitarian, peace-building, and development, we suggest that in complex, conflict-affected, and highly political environments adaptive delivery already happens far more regularly than is currently recognised, as a necessity to get activities delivered. However, it happens despite the system, not because of it, and is therefore often hidden and carried out ‘under the radar’ rather than celebrated as a success in difficult environments. This paper was written in 2019, before the military seized control of Myanmar in February 2021. Whilst it draws on examples from pre-2021 Myanmar to illustrate real life cases, it is a contribution to a broader global debate on adaptive management in practice, specifically in fragile contexts. This is not specifically aimed at practitioners working in Myanmar at present, who are now working in a protracted crisis. This paper makes tangible recommendations on steps that donors, international non-governmental organisations, local staff, and partners could take to promote a system of encouraging and celebrating adaptability in programme delivery in fragile contexts. CY - Brighton, UK DA - 2023/02/02/ PY - 2023 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - IDS SN - 586 ST - Celebrating Adaptive Delivery UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17860 Y2 - 2023/02/06/12:33:24 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Two Loops Guide AU - Colchester, Joss AB - The Two Loop model is a nonlinear theory of change based upon the ideas of living systems created by Margaret Wheatley & Deborah Frieze. It provides us with insight into the simultaneous growth and decline process that are underway within a system during a transition period. In this way, it provides a heuristic for us to better try and recognize and connect the past to the future during a change process. It likewise gives us the possibility to try and come to some consensus about where we might be as a group in this process of change and the best actions to take at different stages. This guide will be of relevance for anyone involved in a complex organizational change process. DA - 2023/02// PY - 2023 LA - en PB - Si Network UR - https://www.systemsinnovation.network/posts/21834326 Y2 - 2023/10/31/11:45:42 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Understanding Political Economy Analysis and Thinking and Working Politically AU - Whaites, Alan AU - Piron, Laure-Hélène AU - Menocal, Alina Rocha AU - Teskey, Graham AB - This guide is adapted from work by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) with inputs from members of the Thinking and Working Politically Community of Practice (TWP CoP). It outlines how to understand and use a set of analytical tools that are collectively known as Political Economy Analysis (PEA). The guide aims to equip practitioners to act in an informed manner, given that development objectives are invariably politically complex, and entail engaging with counterparts’ political incentives and preferences. The guide summarises different types of tools – from very light-touch to more in-depth approaches – and provides advice on how development professionals can decide what is most appropriate in a given context, with illustrations based on the experiences of teams working on these issues. This guide will help development professionals and others to make use of PEA and to apply it to their own specific needs. The first part of the guide offers a general picture of the approach. The second part provides more specific guidance for those who are tasked with deploying a PEA. Contents --> Main audience What is PEA, its role and purpose (Section 2) --> General information for all readers The main elements of PEA (Section 3) Thinking and Working Politically (Section 4) --> Core information for teams planning and using PEA How to ensure quality (Section 5) --> Essential reading for those directly responsible for a PEA Important concepts and terminology (Annex) --> General information for all readers CY - London DA - 2023/02// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - FCDO and TWP CoP UR - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/understanding-political-economy-analysis-and-thinking-and-working-politically Y2 - 2023/10/04/00:00:00 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Innovative M&E from the Sandbox and beyond AU - Vester, Søren AU - Tran, Samuel T2 - Medium AB - In this blog we are sharing a digest of some of the many useful and innovative monitoring, evaluation and learning resources and efforts that have come through the M&E Sandbox in 2022. A lot of these resources have been shared by our community in response to the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the launch of the Sandbox (please keep them coming!). We hope you find it useful. We have grouped these efforts and resources under six broad questions: - How do we measure systems transformation? - How do we know if we are on track? - How do we rethink complexity and independence in evaluation? - Why, how and for whom do we measure? - How do we generate insights and learn? - How do we make decisions and adapt? DA - 2023/01/20/T14:03:18.824Z PY - 2023 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/@undp.innovation/innovative-m-e-from-the-sandbox-and-beyond-9234d0977796 Y2 - 2023/01/24/09:29:34 ER - TY - MGZN TI - A Better Approach to After-Action Reviews AU - Fletcher, Angus AU - Cline, Preston B. AU - Hoffman, Matthew T2 - Harvard Business Review AB - In the decades since the Army created the After Action Review (AAR), businesses have embraced the practice as a way of learning from both failure and success. But all too often the practice gets reduced to nothing more than a pro forma exercise. The authors of this article describe the history and philosophy of the original AAR, debunk three myths about the practice that impede its proper use, and finally suggest three improvements that can help business leaders make the most of it. DA - 2023/01/12/T13:15:17Z PY - 2023 DP - hbr.org SN - 0017-8012 UR - https://hbr.org/2023/01/a-better-approach-to-after-action-reviews Y2 - 2024/01/12/15:42:52 KW - Collaboration and teams KW - Crisis management KW - Project management ER - TY - BLOG TI - Introducing the CLA Maturity Tool for Implementing Partners AU - Salib, Monalisa AU - Ziegler, Jessica T2 - Social Impact AB - On December 13, 2022, Social Impact hosted a webinar in our Evidence for Impact series, "Strengthen Your Team's CLA Practices: Introducing the CLA Maturity Tool for USAID Implementers." Through the session, we shared more about the origin and history of the USAID tool upon which this version is based, why and how we updated DA - 2023/01/11/T17:58:55+00:00 PY - 2023 LA - en-US UR - https://socialimpact.com/introducing-the-cla-maturity-tool-for-implementing-partners/ Y2 - 2023/03/20/11:34:01 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Holistic Flexibility for Deploying Systems Thinking as a Cognitive Skill AU - Chowdhury, Rajneesh T2 - Systemic Practice and Action Research AB - Considering Systems Thinking (ST) as a cognitive skill can create greater acceptability of and openness to the discipline from practitioners and researchers outside operations research and management science. Rather than associating ST with frameworks and methodologies, ST as a cognitive skill can help popularize and democratize the discipline. This paper highlights how the conceptual lens of Holistic Flexibility can help practitioners deploy ST as a cognitive skill without the application of any traditional systems methodology. Holistic Flexibility is defined as the dynamic interplay between a state of mind that has the ability to absorb systemic complexity and a state of practice that has the ability to embrace flexibility, both in intent and in form. Through two case-studies, discussions in this paper highlight how Holistic Flexibility can serve as a conceptual lens for systems practitioners. The case-studies demonstrate the importance of a practitioner’s ability to seamlessly manage and work with multiple variables, stakeholders, and factors to deliver responsible outcomes with the aid of learning loops. The main contribution of this paper lies in the case-studies and analyses presented that provide use cases for Holistic Flexibility in ST, which will help address recent calls in the discipline for ST to be considered as a cognitive skill. DA - 2023/01/10/ PY - 2023 DO - 10.1007/s11213-022-09626-8 DP - Springer Link J2 - Syst Pract Action Res LA - en SN - 1573-9295 UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-022-09626-8 Y2 - 2023/01/17/09:34:31 ER - TY - VIDEO TI - Strengthen Your Team’s CLA Practices: Introducing the CLA Maturity Tool for USAID Implementers AU - Social Impact , Inc AB - The Collaborating, Learning & Adapting (CLA) Maturity Tool has been used by USAID operating units since 2015. The tool enables staff to self-assess their current CLA practice and plan ways to improve their internal and external collaboration, organizational learning efforts, and adaptive management practices. Recently, SI built on this resource to create the CLA Maturity Tool for implementing partners (IPs) to provide a version that speaks more directly to the experience of international and local organizations. Learn more here. DA - 2023/01/10/ PY - 2023 DP - YouTube ST - Strengthen Your Team’s CLA Practices UR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwdO9FZq_PM Y2 - 2023/03/20/11:30:53 ER - TY - ELEC TI - MSD Competency Framework AU - BEAM Exchange T2 - BEAM Exchange AB - MSD Competency Framework A catalogue of the full range of knowledge, skills and aptitudes found in high-performing teams that use the market systems approach. Useful for: Practitioners - identify personal training needs and continue your professional development Trainers - diversify your courses and refine your training / capacity-building offers Managers - strengthen your recruitment and induction processes MSD competencies Competency is a mix of knowledge, skills and attitudes demonstrated through concrete behaviours. This section explores the 17 competencies used by high-performing MSD teams. Arranged in three groups they relate to how we understand the world, make decisions and interact with others. Each competency is defined and has links to useful resources that explain or illustrate the knowledge or skills that feed it. Where available, sources of teaching and learning for that competency are included. Teaching and learning modes An exploration of the most common modes of teaching and learning that support practitioners to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes. Some modes of learning are more relevant to certain types of competency - as indicated by the box colours. Each page has a summary of the teaching mode, guidance for team leaders and trainers, and examples of how to use this mode for developing specific competencies. Assessment modes Assessing competency is important for recruitment, performance appraisal and continued professional development These pages describe distinct approaches to evaluating individuals. They include a summary of the evaluation mode, guidance for assessors, and examples tailored to specific competencies. DA - 2023/01// PY - 2023 LA - en UR - https://beamexchange.org/msd-competency-framework/msd-competencies/ Y2 - 2023/04/13/09:37:39 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Creative Activities for Work Teams and Communities of Practice. A guide for designing participatory, productive, and engaging sessions AU - AKF AB - This free guide aims to build the skills and confidence of people designing and facilitating participatory, productive, and engaging workshop sessions for work teams and communities of practice by providing them with a series of creative activities that can be run in-person or virtually. By the time they have gone through this guide, session leads will be able to: Describe ways in which creative activities can be of value to teams and communities of practice, Design both in-person and virtual workshop sessions that incorporate creative activities, Facilitate participatory, productive and engaging workshop sessions that incorporate one or several creative activities, and Lead an effective debrief following a creative activity. This toolkit was developed by the Aga Khan Foundation. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 LA - en-US UR - https://akflearninghub.org/documents/creative-activities-for-work-teams-and-communities-of-practice Y2 - 2023/10/02/10:11:28 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Virtual Facilitation Techniques for Work Teams and Communities of Practice. A guide for designing and running dynamic and engaging remote sessions and meetings AU - AKF AB - This free guide aims to build the skills and confidence of people designing and facilitating virtual meetings, including online community of practice sessions. By the time they have gone through this guide, community of practice facilitators will be able to: Design an engaging and participatory virtual session, Develop an effective, varied and realistic agenda for a virtual session, Apply a wide range of virtual facilitation techniques, and Using technology to facilitate virtual sessions. This toolkit was developed by the Aga Khan Foundation. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 LA - en-US UR - https://akflearninghub.org/documents/virtual-facilitation-techniques-for-akfs-communities-of-practice/ Y2 - 2023/10/02/10:11:28 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Si Guides on System Innovation AU - Colchester, Joss AU - Si Network AB - So you have just hear about systems thinking and systems innovation and are keen to know more, Ok sparky let's get started.We have structured all the content into four main areas that we think you ... DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 LA - en PB - Si Network UR - https://www.systemsinnovation.network/spaces/7250774 Y2 - 2023/10/03/08:59:59 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Setting new standards for better MEL. Lessons for grantees & funders AU - Colnar, Megan AU - Azevedo, Andrea AU - Tolmie, Courtney AU - Caddick, Hannah AB - How can donors and grantees work together to create effective monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) practices that drive field-wide transformation? The Open Society Foundation’s Fiscal Governance Program found success by focusing on six key approaches, including empowering grantees and relinquishing power. In 2021, an external close-out evaluation by Intention to Impact of the program (which ran for 7 years and gave over $150 million in grants) revealed something pretty remarkable—the program’s deliberate focus on strengthening field-wide monitoring, evaluation, and learning practices was a success. Substantial capacity increases were observed across key institutions and grantees, new complexity-sensitive practices and methods were being actively championed and deployed, and a growing community of better-connected practitioners were exchanging tips and tricks on how to apply smart, context-specific MEL across fiscal governance issues. What’s more, in this evaluation, most grantees gave high praise to these efforts. So, how did this come about? We detail the six different approaches we used in our new publication Setting new standards for better MEL: Lessons for funders and grantees. The approaches range from checking power dynamics to growing skills for evaluative thinking and seeding peer learning and field-wide research. The publication is paired with a toolkit and showcases resources we used and iterated on across the various approaches. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - Better Evaluation UR - https://www.betterevaluation.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/Setting%20new%20standards%20for%20better%20MEL.pdf Y2 - 2023/07/04/00:00:00 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Two decades of public sector innovation: building an analytical framework from a systematic literature review of types, strategies, conditions, and results AU - Criado, J. Ignacio AU - Alcaide-Muñoz, Laura AU - Liarte, Irene T2 - Public Management Review AB - Scholarly attention in innovation in the public sector is growing rapidly, provoking analytical complexity. We developed a systematic literature review about Public Sector Innovation (PSI), analysing 169 articles published between 2001 and 2021, using PRISMA. We present a comprehensive approach to PSI testing and empirically develop an analytical framework based on the most common combinations of the studied dimensions. Additionally, we propose three main research avenues for the future of PSI: (1) studying PSI in different contexts, (2) expanding the analysis of configurations in PSI initiatives, and (3) analysing ambidextrous strategies to support the practical implementation of PSI. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 DO - 10.1080/14719037.2023.2254310 DP - Taylor and Francis+NEJM VL - 0 IS - 0 SP - 1 EP - 30 SN - 1471-9037 ST - Two decades of public sector innovation UR - https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2023.2254310 Y2 - 2023/09/26/11:18:55 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Hacking by the prompt: Innovative ways to utilize ChatGPT for evaluators AU - Ferretti, Silva T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - “Hacking by the prompt”—writing simple yet creative conversational instructions in ChatGPT's message window—revealed many valuable additions to the evaluator's toolbox for all stages of the evaluation process. This includes the production of terms of reference and proposals for the dissemination of final reports. ChatGPT does not come with an instruction book, so evaluators must experiment creatively to understand its potential. The surprising performance of ChatGPT leads to the question: will it eventually substitute for evaluators? By describing ChatGPT through four personality characteristics (pedantic, “I know it all,” meek, and “speech virtuoso”), this article provides case examples of the potential and pitfall of ChatGPT in transforming evaluation practice. Anthropomorphizing ChatGPT is debatable, but the result is clear: tongue-in-cheek personality characteristics helped hack ChatGPT more creatively while remaining aware of its challenges. This article combines practical ideas with deeper reflection on evaluation. It concludes that ChatGPT can substitute for evaluators when evaluations mostly focus on paperwork and conventional approaches “by the book” (an unfortunate trend in the sector). ChatGPT cannot substitute engagement with reality and critical thinking. Will ChatGPT then be a stimulus to rediscover the humanity and the reality we lost in processes? DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 DO - 10.1002/ev.20557 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2023 IS - 178-179 SP - 73 EP - 84 LA - en SN - 1534-875X ST - Hacking by the prompt UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20557 Y2 - 2023/12/11/09:47:47 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Designing & Facilitating Collaborative Learning Networks. A toolkit AU - Folsom, Amanda T2 - Results for Development AB - Collaborative Learning — an approach which brings together people who face common challenges to share knowledge and jointly problem-solve — is a powerful way to support locally-led development and achieve impact. It provides a structured process in which change agents determine priorities, set the learning agenda, work together to identify strategies to address complex challenges, and provide ongoing implementation support to one another. Collaborative Learning — unlike traditional approaches to technical assistance — centers the expertise of local change agents and captures the valuable tacit knowledge of practitioners to advance systems change. This toolkit synthesizes lessons, tips, and tools accumulated from more than a decade of experience designing and facilitating over 20 Collaborative Learning Networks. The lead author was Amanda Folsom, Senior Program Director and Collaborative Learning Practice Lead, Results for Development (R4D). The toolkit benefited from the contributions of many R4D colleagues, including Katie Bowman, Cheryl Cashin, Tanya Jones, Gina Lagomarsino, Agnes Munyua, Maria Jose Pastor, and Abeba Taddese. R4D has not done this alone. The lessons and examples are drawn from our work with many network partners from the Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage (JLN), Linked Immunisation Action Network (Linked), Health Systems Strengthening Accelerator, Strategic Purchasing Africa Resource Center (SPARC), the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI), the Partnership for Evidence and Equity in Responsive Social Systems (PEERSS), and the School Action Learning Exchange (SALEX), to name a few. We are grateful for the thought partnership and support of our partners and funders, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gavi, Hewlett Foundation, Jacobs Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, USAID, and World Bank. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 LA - en-US UR - https://r4d.org/collaborativelearningtoolkit/ Y2 - 2023/10/02/10:19:51 ER - TY - RPRT TI - The Art of Scaling Deep - Research in Summary AU - Fraser, Tatiana AB - Over the last 15 years the concept of scale has become a foundational part of the apparatus of the social and environmental change sector. A business mindset of growth has been seamlessly transferred to the social and environmental problems we are collectively trying to shift in the world. Scaling up, (influencing policy) has been considered the strategic pathway to systems change. Scaling out (spreading new models) is seen as a pathway to success. The allure of these scaling theories lies, in part, in their tangibility, and the easy way in which they can be measured. However this focus on growth has shifted our attention away from a series of messy truths. Sometimes bigger isn't better. Endless growth is not sustainable and our urgency to try to fix the problem and seek solutions may be part of the crisis we are in. One unintended consequence of this has been that another type of scale has been devalued and as a result, under-resourced. It’s a scale that values the slow steady work of deepening relationships. It recognizes the significance of context, building connections that bridge diverse communities and it prioritizes inner work and healing as integral components of the scaling process. We call this type of scale ‘Scaling Deep’ and we believe that adequately supporting it, and funding it, holds the greatest potential for long lasting systemic change. The purpose of this research has been to delve deeper into the art and craft of Scaling Deep. Ultimately, our goal is for it to become firmly ingrained within the recognized realm of social change, alongside the well-established concepts of scaling up and scaling out. We want practitioners who are Scaling Deep to be able to harness the wisdom and power of this work and to talk about it openly, with confidence and credibility. We want understanding of this approach to flourish and evolve and for it to be appropriately celebrated and supported. We want decision-makers to be informed and inspired by the principles and practices of scaling deep. For it to be embedded in theories of change as an essential component of decision-making processes within the wider change discourse. Importantly we want leaders who are Scaling Deep to have access to sufficient resources and to receive the care from the field that they need to thrive. We would like to see organisations that have the power to invest, to align their efforts with the profound impact that scaling deep aspires to cultivate in the world. Before we begin, let us be crystal clear. We are not opposed to scaling up and out as strategies for change. Innovation and scaling what is working is part of how we evolve as humanity. As social entrepreneurs ourselves, we have both done this twice over. We value it and we know it’s important. We recognize these are strategies for creating widespread impact and effecting positive change. Our intention here is not to dismiss or undermine the value of scaling up and out, but rather to encourage a broader and more holistic perspective that includes other dimensions of scale. There is a need to understand how the different scaling approaches can work together, rather than seeing them as hierarchical and disconnected. Our ultimate goal is to equip the change sector with a more inclusive, expansive, and powerful approach to tackling the myriad challenges we face, by exploring the potential of Scaling Deep as a transformational strategy for systems change. DA - 2023/09// PY - 2023 PB - The Systems Sanctuary UR - https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a0b2bbb80bd5e8ae706c73c/t/650e01c6fba1ac5ee2d1ae74/1695416781894/The+Art+of+Scaling+Deep+September+2023.pdf Y2 - 2024/02/28/14:50:29 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Building a team culture for Adaptive Management in MSD: 5 Strategies MEL Managers Say Work AU - Gover, Dun AU - Nasution, Zulka AU - Okutu, David AU - Bolder, Meghan AU - Henao, Lina T2 - MSD in MEL Brief DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - USAID SN - 2 UR - https://agrilinks.org/sites/default/files/media/file/MSD%20in%20MEL%20Brief%202_Building%20Culture_508.pdf Y2 - 2023/10/02/09:38:55 KW - Bolder Meghan KW - Gover Dun KW - Henao Lina KW - Nasution Zulka KW - Okutu David ER - TY - RPRT TI - Enhancing partner and system-level learning: 8 Tips from MEL Managers AU - Gover, Dun AU - Nasution, Zulka AU - Okutu, David AU - Bolder, Meghan AU - Henao, Lina T2 - MSD in MEL Brief AB - Effective learning is a key driver of market systems change, with the potential to enhance system competitiveness, resilience, and inclusiveness. Shifting the Locus of Learning: Catalyzing Private Sector Learning to Drive Systemic Change recently outlined a rationale for enhancing the scale and quality of learning in a system and identifying 10 strategies programs can contextualize to catalyze learning. These strategies are also backed with robust examples from 13 programs doing this work across 11 countries. To deepen insights on what MSD Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Managers have experienced in putting several of those strategies into practice, the Feed the Future Market Systems and Partnerships (MSP) Activity convened a series of peer discussions as part of a larger initiative (see Figure 1). This brief shares the collective learning and experience on this topic of three senior MEL Managers who were interested in and had experience with this topic. The group represented full-time, program-based MEL Leads working on MSD programs funded by USAID and DFAT, based in Fiji, Albania, and Kosovo working for Adam Smith International, SwissContact, and DT Global, respectively. From those discussions, this paper synthesizes eight tips from MEL Managers for practically enhancing partner and system-level learning: 1. Identify the right decision-maker(s) at potential partners. 2. Use a co-creation process to identify learning opportunities. 3. Use diagnostics and assessments to strengthen partner and system capacity for actionable learning. 4. Use a phased capacity strengthening process tied to behavior change. 5. Measure partners’ continued investment in and use of learning—not the continuation of specific learning activities. 6. Work with sector-level institutions for scale but be aware of risks. 7. Leverage informal communities of practice to share learning. 8. Use the right terminology to talk about partner and system-focused learning. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - USAID SN - 3 UR - https://agrilinks.org/sites/default/files/media/file/MSD%20in%20MEL%20Brief%203_PS%20Learning_508.pdf Y2 - 2023/10/02/09:38:55 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Practioners Guide to Assessing Systems Change AU - Gover, Dun AU - Nasution, Zulka AU - Okutu, David AU - Bolder, Meghan AU - Henao, Lina T2 - MSD in MEL Brief DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 PB - USAID SN - 1 UR - https://agrilinks.org/sites/default/files/media/file/MSD%20in%20MEL%20Brief%201_Practioners%20Guide%20to%20Assessing%20Systems%20Change_06.14.pdf Y2 - 2023/10/02/09:38:55 ER - TY - JOUR TI - The Dynamics of Team Learning: Harmony and Rhythm in Teamwork Arrangements for Innovation AU - Harvey, Jean-François AU - Cromwell, Johnathan R. AU - Johnson, Kevin J. AU - Edmondson, Amy C. T2 - Administrative Science Quarterly AB - Innovation teams must navigate inherent tensions between different learning activities to produce high levels of performance. Yet, we know little about how teams combine these activities—notably reflexive, experimental, vicarious, and contextual learning—most effectively over time. In this article, we integrate research on teamwork episodes with insights from music theory to develop a new theoretical perspective on team dynamics, which explains how team activities can produce harmony, dissonance, or rhythm in teamwork arrangements that lead to either positive or negative effects on overall performance. We first tested our theory in a field study using longitudinal data from 102 innovation teams at a Fortune Global 500 company; then, we replicated and elaborated our theory in a study of 61 MBA project teams at an elite North American university. Results show that some learning activities can occur within the same teamwork episode to have harmonious positive effects on team performance, while other activities combine to have dissonant negative effects when occurring in the same episode. We argue that dissonant activities must be spread across teamwork episodes to help teams achieve a positive rhythm of team learning over time. Our findings contribute to theory on team dynamics, team learning, and ambidexterity. DA - 2023/09// PY - 2023 DO - 10.1177/00018392231166635 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) VL - 68 IS - 3 SP - 601 EP - 647 J2 - Administrative Science Quarterly LA - en SN - 0001-8392, 1930-3815 ST - The Dynamics of Team Learning UR - http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00018392231166635 Y2 - 2024/01/30/15:05:26 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Digitally-induced change in the public sector: a systematic review and research agenda AU - Haug, Nathalie AU - Dan, Sorin AU - Mergel, Ines T2 - Public Management Review AB - Digital transformation has become a buzzword that is permeating multiple fields, including public administration and management. However, it is unclear what is transformational and how incremental and transformational change processes are linked. Using the PRISMA method, we conduct a systematic literature review to structure this growing body of evidence. We identified 164 studies on digitally-induced change and provide evidence for their drivers, implementation processes, and outcomes. We derive a theoretical framework that shows which incremental changes happen in public administrations that are implementing digital technologies and what their cumulative, transformative effects are on society as a whole. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 DO - 10.1080/14719037.2023.2234917 DP - Taylor and Francis+NEJM VL - 0 IS - 0 SP - 1 EP - 25 SN - 1471-9037 ST - Digitally-induced change in the public sector UR - https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2023.2234917 Y2 - 2023/09/26/11:18:05 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Large language model applications for evaluation: Opportunities and ethical implications AU - Head, Cari Beth AU - Jasper, Paul AU - McConnachie, Matthew AU - Raftree, Linda AU - Higdon, Grace T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - Large language models (LLMs) are a type of generative artificial intelligence (AI) designed to produce text-based content. LLMs use deep learning techniques and massively large data sets to understand, summarize, generate, and predict new text. LLMs caught the public eye in early 2023 when ChatGPT (the first consumer facing LLM) was released. LLM technologies are driven by recent advances in deep-learning AI techniques, where language models are trained on extremely large text data from the internet and then re-used for downstream tasks with limited fine-tuning required. They offer exciting opportunities for evaluators to automate and accelerate time-consuming tasks involving text analytics and text generation. We estimate that over two-thirds of evaluation tasks will be affected by LLMs in the next 5 years. Use-case examples include summarizing text data, extracting key information from text, analyzing and classifying text content, writing text, and translation. Despite the advances, the technologies pose significant challenges and risks. Because LLM technologies are generally trained on text from the internet, they tend to perpetuate biases (racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, and more) and exclusion of non-majority languages. Current tools like ChatGPT have not been specifically developed for monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) purposes, possibly limiting their accuracy and usefulness for evaluation. In addition, technical limitations and challenges with bias can lead to real world harm. To overcome these technical challenges and ethical risks, the evaluation community will need to work collaboratively with the data science community to co-develop tools and processes and to ensure the application of quality and ethical standards. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 DO - 10.1002/ev.20556 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2023 IS - 178-179 SP - 33 EP - 46 LA - en SN - 1534-875X ST - Large language model applications for evaluation UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20556 Y2 - 2023/12/11/09:47:35 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Assessing Value for Money: the Oxford Policy Management Approach AU - King, Julian AU - Daniel Wate AU - Esther Namukasa AU - Alex Hurrell AU - Frances Hansford AU - Patrick Ward AU - Shiva Faramarzifar AB - This document offers practical guidance for assessing the Value for Money (VfM) of government- and donor-financed programmes and policy interventions. In line with OPM’s focus and mission, it has been predominantly applied in the international development sector, but the approach upon which it is based is also used in the context of domestic public policy and programmes.1 There is increasing scrutiny on VfM in international development, but a lack of appropriate methods to support its assessment. There is a risk of reaching invalid conclusions if VfM evaluation is tied to a narrow set of indicators devoid of any evaluative judgement—for example, by emphasising the most readily quantifiable measures rather than the most important (but harder to quantify) aspects of performance, or by focusing on the quantification of outputs and outcomes at the expense of more nuanced consideration of their quality, value, and importance. The approach presented in this guide combines theory and practice from evaluation and economics to respond to requirements for accountability and good resource allocation, as well as to support reflection, learning, and adaptive management. It involves developing and implementing a framework for: • organising evidence of performance and VfM; • interpreting the evidence on an agreed basis; and • presenting a clear and robust performance story. This guide sets out a framework for making and presenting judgements in a way that opens both the reasoning process and the evidence to scrutiny. The approach is designed to be used in alignment with broader monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems—both for efficiency's sake, and to ensure conceptual coherence between VfM evaluation and wider MEL work. The VfM framework achieves these aims by: • using explicit criteria (aspects of performance) and standards (levels of performance) to provide a transparent basis for making sound judgements about performance and VfM; • combining quantitative and qualitative forms of evidence to support a richer and more nuanced understanding than can be gained from the use of indicators alone; • accommodating economic evaluation (where feasible and appropriate) without limiting the analysis to economic methods and metrics alone; and • incorporating and building on an approach to VfM evaluation which is familiar to international aid donors. CY - Oxford DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 LA - en PB - Oxford Policy Management UR - http://www.opml.co.uk/publications/opm%E2%80%99s-approach-assessing-value-money Y2 - 2018/03/16/09:58:46 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Adaptive Programming and going with the grain: IMAGINE's new water governance model in Goma, DRC AU - Kirk, Tom AU - Green, Duncan AU - Stys, Patrycja AU - Mosquera, Tom T2 - Development Policy Review AB - Motivation This paper explores adaptive approaches to development programmes that aim at improving service provision in underperforming sectors in fragile and conflict affected states (FCAS). It does this through a case study of the Integrated Maji Infrastructure and Governance Initiative for eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo's (IMAGINE) public-private partnership model for water provision. Purpose The processes and decisions that culminated in IMAGINE's model emphasize the need for programming that is culturally and politically aware, responsive to events, learns in real-time, is entrepreneurial, and works with the grain of local institutions to support change. Detailed case studies of such ways of working are crucial for programmes that seek to challenge and reform the status quo in FCAS. Methods and approach The paper is based on 42 semi-structured interviews conducted in the summers of 2019 and 2020. They reflect the broad spectrum of actors – individuals, public authorities, and organisations – involved in IMAGINE's evolution. Findings The narrative focuses on IMAGINE's attempts to professionalise and commercialise Goma's water sector. It shows how as IMAGINE repeatedly adapted to ground realities, it took on the characteristics of a public authority, thereby, engendering backlashes that threated its longer-term goals. However, by revisiting its initial values and logics it was able to get things done and achieve it aims. Policy implications IMAGINE's story suggests that adaptive programmes should put politically savvy local development professionals in key positions and enable them to carefully construct coalitions of allies across the systems they aim to disrupt. This may also require them to revisit and adapt their initial ideas, guiding principles and values as greater understandings of development problems are gained. A pubic authorities lens, attuned to the logics programmes seek to address and introduce to FCAS, may help analysts to foreground the implications of such adaptations. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 DO - 10.1111/dpr.12691 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - n/a IS - n/a LA - en SN - 1467-7679 ST - Adaptive Programming and going with the grain UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/dpr.12691 Y2 - 2023/03/24/10:08:12 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Laudes Rubrics - Measurement and Learning Approach AU - Laudes Foundation AB - How can we measure and learn when promoting systems change? It’s a challenge that has inspired Laudes Foundation to develop a rubrics-based methodology to help us, our partners and the wider field of philanthropy, understand our contribution to change, while learning and adapting to new and unforeseen circumstances. Change cannot be captured by numbers alone because metrics put the focus on what can be counted, not always what’s most important. Rubrics are a framework that set a standard for what ‘good’ looks like – and create a shared language for describing and assessing it using both quantitative and qualitative evidence. At Laudes Foundation, the rubrics are integrated into our grantmaking processes – from the design phase through to measurement, evaluation and learning. The four Laudes Foundation rubrics categories Laudes Foundation has developed 21 rubrics that work across different levels, from processes to long-term impact. When measuring a specific initiative, a smaller set of relevant rubrics are chosen and assessed on a rating scale from ‘harmful’ to ‘thrivable’. The 21 rubrics are categorised into four groups, with some natural overlap between categories B, C and D. Category A focuses on the process-related aspects of initiatives, including design, implementation, monitoring, communication and learning, and organisation and network effectiveness. Category B focuses on the early and later changes that need to happen to create the right conditions to achieve the 2025 outcomes. Category C captures the 2025 outcomes, focusing on how policymakers, financiers, business leaders, and workers and producers behave. Category D captures the 2030 impacts, describing the new reality created as a result of sustained efforts. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 LA - en PB - Laudes Foundation UR - https://www.laudesfoundation.org/grants/rubrics Y2 - 2023/06/14/11:03:37 ER - TY - JOUR TI - How to Sharpen a Nonviolent Movement AU - McClennen, Sophia AU - Popovic, Srdja AU - Wright, Joseph T2 - Journal of Democracy AB - In the past three decades nonviolent social protest has become the most reliable path to democracy. However, not all nonviolent mobilization campaigns succeed. To examine why some nonviolent campaigns are more successful than others, we analyze the use of a particular type of activist campaign tactic, the "dilemma action." The dilemma action is a nonviolent civil-disobedience tactic that provokes a "response dilemma" for the target. Collecting original data on dilemma actions during nonviolent activist campaigns, we find that roughly one-third of mass nonviolent campaigns in the past century deploy this strategy. We theorize four mechanisms linking dilemma actions to nonviolent activist campaign success: facilitating group formation, delegitimizing opponents, reducing fear, and generating sympathetic media coverage. Finally, we assess whether dilemma actions increase campaign success rates, finding that dilemma actions are associated with an increase of 11–16 percent in activist-campaign success. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 DP - Project MUSE VL - 34 IS - 1 SP - 110 EP - 125 SN - 1086-3214 UR - https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/875802 Y2 - 2023/11/14/22:38:45 ER - TY - RPRT TI - On the Right Tack: Reflections on Coalition-Building Initiatives across The Asia Foundation AU - Nixon, Nicola AU - Yates, Peter AU - Saluja, Sumaya AU - Yi, Su Lae AU - Lucas, Miranda AU - Bain, Katherine AB - Coalitions—groups of organizations and individuals that work together to pursue a common policy goal or reform—are crucial to development. Some of The Asia Foundation’s longest-standing and most successful development programs and portfolios have used coalition-building as an implementation modality. This paper examines successful initiatives in Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste. By delving into each of these, we shed light on this coalition-building modality, sharing insights about how externally supported coalitions emerge and function and contributing ideas about how such support can be adapted to other contexts. We hope that this paper and these case studies contribute to innovations in contemporary development theory and help practitioners use and move beyond some formulaic and technocratic modalities, such as traditional capacity development, knowledge transfer, and technical assistance. People, relationships, and working partnerships can then take center stage, and sustained cooperation will gain primacy over short-term outputs and deliverables. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - The Asia Foundation UR - https://asiafoundation.org/publication/on-the-right-tack-reflections-on-coalition-building-initiatives-across-the-asia-foundation/ ER - TY - RPRT TI - Developing a Systems Thinking Lens for Collective Leadership AU - O’Donnell, Joan AB - Systems thinking approaches are gaining traction as an effective way of understanding and working with increasing complexity. They are being put forward by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development as well as the World Health Organisation as a way to tackle the complex and unpredictable environments we now operate in. As the world has become increasingly interconnected, national or local boundaries cannot isolate and control social problems. The climate emergency, war and political instability have become everyday realities that accompany an ever-widening gap between those who have and control resources, and those who do not have enough to meet basic needs. The usual responses are becoming more and more ineffective; all interventions have unseen consequences or emergent properties that cannot be predicted using an inputoutput outcomes model. Designing interventions therefore requires a fresh lens to manage our way through turbulence and uncertainty. Most complex situations benefit from a complementary mix of a systematic (linear) decisive intervention as much as a systemic (whole-view) understanding of a proposed intervention. In this sense, adopting a systems thinking approach requires both framing the situation using a systems lens, as well as a commitment to take action and learn forward in realtime. When utilised in this way, a systems thinking lens complements rather than replaces traditional management tools. It draws on well-tested concepts and tools and relies on the systems leader to develop their practice, which includes the art of knowing what is needed and when. It is about threading traditional planning methods together with an understanding of the interrelationships, multiple perspectives and boundary judgements that influence the framing of a situation. It is becoming increasingly clear that effective leadership is embedded and invested: objective management science has no place in a world bound by interconnectedness and unintended consequences. Leaders are, as we shall see, an inherent part of both the problem and the proposed intervention. The purpose of this paper is to share some concepts informed by systems thinking to support you, as leaders in your organisations, to bring a systems-informed lens to your work. It puts you as a practitioner-leader at the centre of your own practice and encourages you to reflect critically on your positionality, as well as the lens you use to understand and intervene in complex issues. This paper has been developed on foot of training piloted with public service leaders in Scotland in the summer of 2022, and acts as an introduction to developing your systems literacy skills. While we are all born with a systems sensibility, many of us lose that sense of connectedness and interdependence with the world as we grow up. This paper acts as a prompt to bring a complexity informed approach to your work practice. It also contains some pointers for further resources and tools that may support your learning. CY - Edinburgh DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - Collective Leadership for Scotland UR - https://workforcescotland.wpcomstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/873878_SCT0123759776-001_Collective-Leadership-Brochure_FINAL.pdf Y2 - 2023/05/22/00:00:00 ER - TY - ELEC TI - Re-institute website AU - RE!NSTITUTE T2 - Re!nstitute AB - We are a dynamic non-profit organization with a unique approach to managing change and catalyzing innovation to support global systems transformation. We know that to achieve equal, just, and safe communities, we must collectively challenge and change the systems that people rely on — especially those most vulnerable. Together, we must RE!BUILD a system's resilience and capacity to take on our biggest generational challenges. Justice, housing, health, and other systems in every country are often struggling to come together, across institutions and organizations, to unite under a common vision for change, and implement those changes in effective and innovative ways. Our work and methodology — the 100-Day Challenge — are designed to support these systems to achieve extraordinary results. Our approach is rooted in the philosophy that frontline staff, supported by leadership, can unleash innovation and achieve incredible results by creating new relationships, experimenting with fresh ideas from across their system, and building authentic engagement with those with lived experience. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 LA - en UR - https://re-institute.org/ Y2 - 2023/01/11/10:08:14 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Using AI to disrupt business as usual in small evaluation firms AU - Sabarre, Nina R. AU - Beckmann, Blake AU - Bhaskara, Sahiti AU - Doll, Kathleen T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - While many knowledge workers may fear that the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) will threaten their jobs, this article argues that small evaluation businesses should embrace AI tools to increase their value in the marketplace and remain relevant. In this article, consultants from a research, evaluation, and strategy firm, Intention 2 Impact, Inc., make a case for using AI tools to disrupt business as usual in evaluation from theoretical and practical perspectives. Theoretically, AI may be another example of technology that was initially feared but is now ubiquitous in society. Using concrete examples, the authors describe how businesses and evaluators have evolved to keep up with changes in supply and demand. Lastly, it is posited that embracing AI will save time for those working in small businesses, which can ultimately increase added value and profitability. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 DO - 10.1002/ev.20562 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2023 IS - 178-179 SP - 59 EP - 71 LA - en SN - 1534-875X UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20562 Y2 - 2023/12/11/09:47:54 ER - TY - ELEC TI - Propel AU - Strhive AB - Learn from experience. Together. In the complex landscape of international development, organisations need a way to learn from their experiences and build on what works. Propel is the software solution that revolutionises the way organisations capture, access, and reuse learnings to adapt, innovate, and create lasting change on a global scale. Let's stop reinventing the wheel and build on what works, together. DA - 2023/// PY - 2023 UR - https://www.propelapp.org/ Y2 - 2023/08/07/14:13:02 ER - TY - RPRT TI - How Political Contexts Influence Education Systems: Patterns, Constraints, Entry Points AU - Levy, Brian AB - This paper synthesises the findings of a set of country studies commissioned by the RISE Programme to explore the influence of politics and power on education sector policymaking and implementation. The synthesis groups the countries into three political-institutional contexts: - Dominant contexts, where power is centred around a political leader and a hierarchical governance structure. As the Vietnam case details, top-down leadership potentially can provide a robust platform for improving learning outcomes. However, as the case studies of Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Tanzania illustrate, all-too-often dominant leaders’ goals vis-à-vis the education sector can veer in other directions. - In impersonal competitive contexts, a combination of strong formal institutions and effective processes of resolving disagreements can, on occasion, result in a shared commitment among powerful interests to improve learning outcomes—but in none of the case studies is this outcome evident. In Peru, substantial learning gains have been achieved despite messy top-level politics. But the Chilean, Indian, and South African case studies suggest that the all-too-common result of rule-boundedness plus unresolved political contestation over the education sector’s goals is some combination of exaggerated rule compliance and/or performative isomorphic mimicry. - Personalised competitive contexts (Bangladesh, Ghana, and Kenya for example) lack the seeming strengths of either their dominant or their impersonal competitive contexts; there are multiple politically-influential groups and multiple, competing goals—but no credible framework of rules to bring coherence either to political competition or to the education bureaucracy. The case studies show that political and institutional constraints can render ineffective many specialised sectoral interventions intended to improve learning outcomes. But they also point to the possibility that ‘soft governance’ entry points might open up some context-aligned opportunities for improving learning outcomes. In dominant contexts, the focus might usefully be on trying to influence the goals and strategies of top-level leadership. In impersonal competitive contexts, it might be on strengthening alliances between mission-oriented public officials and other developmentally-oriented stakeholders. In personalised competitive contexts, gains are more likely to come from the bottom-up—via a combination of local-level initiatives plus a broader effort to inculcate a shared sense among a country’s citizenry of ‘all for education’. DA - 2022/12/13/ PY - 2022 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) LA - en PB - Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE) ST - How Political Contexts Influence Education Systems UR - https://riseprogramme.org/publications/how-political-contexts-influence-education-systems-patterns-constraints-entry-points Y2 - 2023/04/13/09:00:09 ER - TY - BOOK TI - Development Delusions and Contradictions: An Anatomy of the Foreign Aid Industry AU - Sims, David AB - This book analyses the shortcomings of the Western development aid programme. Through exploring the evolution of aid over more than seven decades, development is examined as an industry with a variety of motives and actors. The driving forces and dynamics in the relationship between aid and economic development are highlighted in relation to faulty development structures and misaligned aims. With a particular focus on Egypt, radical questions are posed on how global aid and development can be improved, including how it can respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.This book aims to present an alternative aid framework to help overcome the dysfunctionality of the current international development system. It will be of interest to researchers and policymakers working within development economics and development policy. DA - 2022/12/13/ PY - 2022 DP - Amazon ET - 1st ed. 2023 edition SP - 425 LA - English PB - Palgrave Macmillan SN - 978-3-031-17769-9 ST - Development Delusions and Contradictions ER - TY - RPRT TI - How and Why Practitioners Think and Work Politically - Evidence from Chemonics Programming Across Sectors AU - Kantelberg, Renee AU - Swift-Morgan, Jennifer AU - Watson, Bryce AB - Most development practitioners have long recognized that deep contextual knowledge is crucial to understanding how projects interact with their local systems and, in turn, to navigating these systems. Moreover, this knowledge must complement projects' technical solutions, or they will fall flat and may even undercut project objectives as they clatter down. What, then, explains practitioners' particular interest in TWP as an explicit strategy and more than just "doing good development"? This report responds to that question and to the many calls for a more comprehensive picture of TWP by presenting new evidence of the various forms that TWP may take in practice. The evidence comes from a 2022 study that Chemonics undertook to foster more robust learning about TWP. Specifically, we closely examined Chemonics implemented projects that used or are using various forms of TWP in nine countries: Bangladesh, Iraq, Mozambique, the Philippines, Pakistan, Syria, Timor-Leste, and Tunisia. In conducting the study, we interviewed multiple staff from these projects. We complemented what we learned from these projects with a review of eight additional Chemonics- implemented projects applying TWP that had received dedicated support from Chemonics’ Center for Politically Informed Programming (the Center). We consider these findings alongside those of the recent (2022) USAID-Chemonics study on political economy analysis (PEA) usage to identify and articulate what is different and more effective about PEA processes and TWP practices that have received more support. DA - 2022/12// PY - 2022 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - Chemonics International UR - https://chemonics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Chemonics_International_How_and_Why_Practitioners_Think_and_Work_Politically_Dec_19_2022.pdf Y2 - 2023/01/03/00:00:00 ER - TY - SOUND TI - Transforming M&E for Uncertain and Complex Contexts: The UNDP’s Innovation Sandbox Approach AU - Fraser, Dugan AU - Haldrup, Søren T2 - Powered by Evidence Podcast AB - How can we transform monitoring and evaluation (M&E) into a more adaptive, emergent process to address uncertainty and complexity in todays’ world? How do we move from compliance and accountability to learning – to support better, more timely, decisions? Join GEI Program Manager, Dugan Fraser, as he discusses these questions and others with Special Guest, Søren Haldrup, from UNDP's Strategic Innovation Unit where he manages UNDP's innovation facility and leads a new initiative called the M&E Sandbox. DA - 2022/11/03/ PY - 2022 LA - en ST - Transforming M&E for Uncertain and Complex Contexts UR - https://www.globalevaluationinitiative.org/podcast/transforming-me-uncertain-and-complex-contexts-undps-innovation-sandbox-approach Y2 - 2023/01/03/12:40:47 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Beneficiary feedback mechanisms AU - UK Aid AB - This guidance seeks to ensure that UK Aid Direct applicants and grant holders understand what the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) means by beneficiary feedback mechanisms, and more specifically, that they: • Understand the terms used that relate to beneficiary feedback mechanisms in UK Aid Direct guidance and templates • Understand beneficiary feedback mechanisms and why they are a useful tool for project monitoring and learning • Learn how to use beneficiary feedback mechanisms during project implementation. • Can demonstrate that using beneficiary feedback mechanisms can lead to greater accountability. CY - London DA - 2022/11// PY - 2022 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - FCDO ER - TY - RPRT TI - Everyday patterns for shifting systems AU - GCSI DA - 2022/10/25/ PY - 2022 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - GCSI UR - https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/1867002/Right-Scaling_Patterns_TSI-and-GCSI.pdf ER - TY - RPRT TI - Everyday patterns for shifting systems - Right scaling AU - GCSI DA - 2022/10/25/ PY - 2022 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - GCSI UR - https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/1867002/Right-Scaling_Patterns_TSI-and-GCSI.pdf ER - TY - RPRT TI - The Art and Craft of Bricolage in Evaluation AU - Aston, Thomas AU - Apgar, Marina T2 - CDI Practice Paper AB - This CDI Practice Paper by Tom Aston and Marina Apgar makes the case for ‘bricolage’ in complexity-aware and qualitative evaluation methods. It provides a framework based on a review of 33 methods to support evaluators to be more intentional about bricolage and to combine the component parts of relevant methods more effectively. It discusses two cases from practice to illustrate the value added of taking a more intentional approach. It further argues that navigating different forms of power is a critical skill for bricolage, and that doing so can help to ensure rigour. CY - Brighton DA - 2022/10/14/ PY - 2022 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Institute for Development Studies SN - 24 UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17709 Y2 - 2023/01/10/14:54:22 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Learning from Life Story Collection and Analysis With Children Who Work in the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Nepal AU - Karki, Shanta AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Snijder, Mieke AU - Sharma, Ranjana T2 - CLARISSA Learning Note AB - The CLARISSA Nepal team collected and analysed 400 life stories of children and young people engaged in or affected by the worst forms of child labour (WFCL), particularly in the “Adult Entertainment” sector in Nepal, which includes children working in Dohoris (restaurants playing folk music), dance bars, spa-massage parlours, khaja ghars (tea/snack shop) and guest houses. Stories were also collected from children in CLARISSA’s focus neighbourhoods, children in this category include street connected children and those working in transportation, party palaces, domestic labour and construction sites. Of the 400 stories collected, 350 were collected by adult researchers and 50 were collected by children themselves. CY - Brighton DA - 2022/10// PY - 2022 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Institute of Development Studies SN - 2 UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17740 Y2 - 2023/10/16/13:41:44 ER - TY - RPRT TI - How to do Process Tracing: A Method for Testing “How Change Happened” in Complex and Dynamic Settings AU - Lynn, Jewlya AU - Stachowiak, Sarah AU - Beyers, Jennifer AB - Process tracing is a causal methodology that can help people understand how a particular large-scale change actually happened within a complex dynamic environment. Much of the existing literature provides important information about the method; we wrote this brief to help more people operationalize the concepts and learn about practical steps for using this method more easily, with quality, and toward a more equitable world. This piece was written based on our experiences implementing process tracing when our experience showed that existing materials on the method had a lot more conceptual than practical information. We’ve approached this as people with some successful (and some unsuccessful) experience with the method itself, alongside deep experience in evaluating initiatives and strategies in complex and dynamic settings. We focus not on the Bayesian side of process tracing but rather on how this can be implemented in a way that’s more participatory and lifts up the experiences and wisdom of those closest to the work and the problems being tackled. We hope this contributes to and helps make more approachable the important work of political scientists and methodologists upon which this work sits. CY - Seattle DA - 2022/10// PY - 2022 PB - ORS Impact UR - https://www.orsimpact.com/directory/how-to-do-process-tracing.htm Y2 - 2024/02/19/09:56:32 ER - TY - RPRT TI - UNDP Digital Leadership Learning Modules AU - UNDP AB - In order to support the digital transformation of government operations Digital Learning Modules for Civil Servants are available, an off-the-shelf package of capacity development in form of replicable training modules to empower public servants at both the local and central government level to be leaders of digital transformation for delivering better public services. The modules cover a multitude of fundamental areas: comprehending digital government and services, human-centered design for inclusivity and agile learning cycles; feature the importance of security and privacy, the value of data and how to manage data and technology related risks; spotlight the key role of supportive leadership and offer practical tools for assessing and overcoming main barriers to ensure a successful digital transformation journey. DA - 2022/10// PY - 2022 LA - en PB - United Nations Development Programme UR - https://www.undp.org/publications/undp-digital-leadership-learning-modules Y2 - 2022/10/21/13:33:11 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Local Capacity Strengthening Policy AU - USAID CY - Washington DC DA - 2022/10// PY - 2022 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - USAID UR - https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/LCS-Policy-2022-10-17.pdf Y2 - 2023/09/05/00:00:00 ER - TY - CONF TI - Thinking and Working Politically in the Land Sector in Mekong Region AU - Burns, Tony AU - Ingalls, Micah AU - Rickersey, Kate T2 - FIG Congress 2022 AB - In recent decades, the World Bank and many bilateral development partners have provided funding to support land administration reform. Traditional land administration reform projects focus on the economic and technical design of interventions based on a library of best practice, commonly avoiding the “messy politics” typically involved in land governance. Experience and lessons from land administration reform initiatives have been documented and a recurrent theme is that many projects fail to create effective, transformative change and gain the critical mass, and the community participation, necessary to ensure the sustainability of land administration reform. Over the last decade there have been concerted efforts to develop more politically informed ways of thinking and working using a range of methodologies referred to, variously, as Thinking and Working Politicallyi (TWP), Problem Driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA) and Doing Development Differently (DDD). There is little evidence that these different approaches have been applied in the land sector. C1 - Warsaw, Poland DA - 2022/09/11/15 PY - 2022 DP - Zotero LA - en ER - TY - BLOG TI - Digital authoritarianism in Bangladesh: Weaponising a draconian law to silence dissent in the pandemic era | Association for Progressive Communications AU - Siddiki, Zayed DA - 2022/09/01/ PY - 2022 M3 - Association for Progressive Communications UR - https://www.apc.org/en/news/digital-authoritarianism-bangladesh-weaponising-draconian-law-silence-dissent-pandemic-era Y2 - 2024/01/03/18:31:05 ER - TY - RPRT TI - The Haves and the Have Nots: Civic Technologies and the Pathways to Government Responsiveness AU - Mellon, Jonathan AU - Peixoto, Tiago C AU - Sjoberg, Fredrik M T2 - Policy Research Working Paper AB - “Civic tech” broadly refers to the use of digital technologies to support a range of citizen engagement processes. From allowing individuals to report problems to local government to enabling the crowdsourcing of national legislation, civic tech aims to promote better policies and services – while contributing to more inclusive democratic institutions. But could civic tech affect public issues in a way that benefits some and excludes others? Over the decades, the question of who participates in and who is excluded from participation mediated by technology has been the focus of both civic tech critics and proponents. The latter tend to argue that, by enabling citizens to participate without constraints of time and distance, civic tech facilitates the participation of those who usually abstain from engaging with public issues, leading to more inclusive processes. Critics argue that, given the existing digital divide, unequal access to technology will tend to empower the already empowered, further deepening societal differences. Yet both critics and proponents do tend to share an intuitive assumption: the socio-economic profile of who participates is the primary determinant of who benefits from digitally mediated civic participation. For instance, if more men participate, outcomes will favor male preferences, and if more young people participate, outcomes will be more aligned with the concerns of the youth. In a new paper, we show that the link between the demographics of those participating through digital channels, and the beneficiaries of the participation process, is not necessarily as straightforward as commonly assumed. We review four civic tech cases where data allow us to trace the full participatory chain through: the initial digital divide the participant’s demographics the demands made through the process the policy outcomes We examine online voting in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul’s participatory budgeting process, the local problem reporting platform Fix My Street (FMS) in the United Kingdom, Iceland’s online crowdsourced constitution process, and the global petitioning platform Change.org. Counterintuitive findings Change.org has been used by nearly half a billion people around the globe. Using a dataset of 3.9 million signers of online petitions in 132 countries, we examine the number of successful petitions and assess whether petitions created by women have more success than those submitted by men. Our analysis shows that, even if women create fewer online petitions than men, their petitions are more likely to be successful. All else equal, when online petitions have an impact on government policy, the agenda being implemented is much closer to the issues women choose to focus on. In Rio Grande do Sul’s digital participatory budgeting (PB), we show that despite important demographic differences between online and offline voters, these inequalities do not affect which types of projects are selected for funding – a consequence of PB’s unique institutional design, which favors redistributive effects. In fact, of all the cases analyzed, none reflect the standard assumption that inequalities in who participates translate directly into inequalities in who benefits from the policy outcomes. Our results suggest that the socio-economic profile of participants predicts only in part who benefits from civic tech. Just as important to policy outcomes is how the platform translates civic participation into policy demands, and how the government responds to those demands. While civic tech practitioners pay a lot of attention to design from a technological perspective, our findings highlight the importance of considering how civic tech platforms function as political institutions that encourage certain types of behavior while discouraging others. Civic tech, it seems, is not inherently good nor bad for democratic institutions. Instead, its effect is a combination of who participates on digital platforms and the choices of platform designers and governments. CY - Washington DC DA - 2022/09// PY - 2022 DP - Zotero SP - 40 LA - en PB - World Bank ER - TY - RPRT TI - How do we know we are doing good work? AU - Sharp, Cathy AU - McLaughlin, Dot AU - Whitley, Janet AU - Lawson, Karen AB - Collective leadership feels timely and important in an uncertain, fast changing, and challenging world. This report comes at this heightened moment of urgency and appetite for renewal, bringing potential to do things differently in public services and communities. The opportunities and challenges of true collaboration-in-practice, in the absence of blueprints, mean that it has never been more necessary to change ways of working and foreground learning. As outcomes remain important, and time and resources are scarcer than ever, the approach of collective leadership makes the creation of impact a shared, conscious, and actionable choice. A pathway to ultimate impact at scale is co-created through dialogue about expectations and contributions, and by design, not assuming change will happen because we have good intentions. Collective Leadership for Scotland (CLfS) has a strong vision and enjoys continuing active interest, drawing together participants from a variety of agencies working in public services. People are looking for fresh thinking, space and time for reflection, connection with others, a chance to think about how to tackle difficulties, and to test out what it takes to do, and continue to do, the work of collaborative public service. These motivations are deepened and brought into sharper focus by the pandemic, with an added interest in developing skills in online facilitation. CLfS contributes to building a critical mass for system change, to help to sustain the ambitions of the Christie Commission and the delivery of the National Outcomes for Scotland. There remains further potential to realise wider and deeper impact amongst organisations, communities, and wider systems. The conclusions of this report are likely to have wider resonance beyond interests in the CLfS programmes. This report deepens understanding of some of the challenges of commissioning, convening, and the scope for deeper impact through building reflective and relational leadership practices. It also outlines social and experiential sensemaking and facilitation practices to strengthen the action inquiry approach as a deliberate learning strategy, building cultures that support new forms of collaborative inquiry and systemic action research. CY - Edinburgh DA - 2022/09// PY - 2022 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - Collective Leadership for Scotland UR - https://workforcescotland.wpcomstaging.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Collective-Leadership-for-Scotland_Impact-Report_18-November-2022.pdf Y2 - 2023/05/22/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Designing Contribution Analysis of Participatory Programming to Tackle the Worst Forms of Child Labour AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Snijder, Mieke AU - Prieto Martin, Pedro AU - Ton, Giel AU - Macleod, Shona AU - Kakri, Shanta AU - Paul, Sukanta T2 - CLARISSA Research and Evidence Paper AB - This Research and Evidence Paper presents the theory-based and participatory evaluation design of the Child Labour: Action-Research- Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia (CLARISSA) programme. The evaluation is embedded in emergent Participatory Action Research with children and other stakeholders to address the drivers of the worst forms of child labour (WFCL). The report describes the use of contribution analysis as an overarching approach, with its emphasis on crafting, nesting and iteratively reflecting on causal theories of change. It illustrates how hierarchically-nested impact pathways lead to specific evaluation questions and mixing different evaluation methods in response to these questions, critical assumptions, and agreement on causal mechanisms to be examined in depth. It also illustrates how realist evaluation can be combined with contribution analysis to deeply investigate specific causal links in the theory of change. It reflects on learning from the use of causal hotspots as a vehicle for mixing methods. It offers considerations on how to navigate relationships and operational trade-offs in making methodological choices to build robust and credible evidence on how, for whom, and under what conditions participatory programming can work to address complex problems such as child labour. CY - Brighton DA - 2022/08/18/ PY - 2022 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Institute of Development Studies SN - 2 UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17603 Y2 - 2024/02/01/00:00:00 ER - TY - BLOG TI - How to develop capacity in the international development sector AU - Prieto Martín, Pedro T2 - CLARISSA AB - In her acclaimed study of effective cross-organizational teamwork, Harvard Business School Professor Amy C. Edmonson concluded that “trying things that... DA - 2022/08/12/T08:50:14+00:00 PY - 2022 LA - en-US UR - https://clarissa.global/how-to-develop-capacity-in-the-international-development-sector/ Y2 - 2024/01/29/00:00:00 ER - TY - JOUR TI - How Beijing Commands: Grey, Black, and Red Directives from Deng to Xi AU - Ang, Yuen Yuen T2 - The China Quarterly DA - 2022/08// PY - 2022 UR - https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4201534 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Where have we got to on Thinking and Working Politically? Update and a Mildly Heretical Thought. – FP2P AU - Green, Duncan T2 - From Poverty to Power AB - Headed off recently to discuss the state of Thinking and Working Politically within the aid sector. This is a loose network of aid wonks that came together to try and move aid from a pure focus on technical issues, towards taking account of power and politics and why they can facilitate/frustrate attempts to make change happen in any given context. It was great to be in a room with others (50/50 in person and online) – the neurons fire in a way that just doesn’t happen online (but I also need to brush up on my meeting skills, as when I accidentally clicked on a random video in my timeline and it started playing at full volume. Super awkward). On to the content (Chatham House rule, so no names or institutions). Some observations about the evolution of a movement I’ve been connected with for over a decade. I got a lot of pushback from participants on an earlier draft and have made quite a few changes, but they should definitely feel free to set me straight in comments! DA - 2022/07/14/ PY - 2022 UR - https://oxfamapps.org/fp2p/where-have-we-got-to-on-thinking-and-working-politically-update-and-a-mildly-heretical-thought/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Y2 - 2022/07/26/13:41:14 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Integrating Local Knowledge in Development Programming AU - Johnson, Madelyn AU - Maunder, Ishan AU - Pinga, Andie AB - The objective of this report, Integrating Local Knowledge in Development Programming is to share knowledge of how development donors and implementing organizations leverage local knowledge to inform programming. In a recent speech at Georgetown University, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power said, “As Americans with a fraught history living up to our own values, we’ve got to approach this work with intention and humility. But the entire development community needs to interrogate the traditional power dynamics of donor-driven development and look for ways to amplify the local voices of those who too often have been left out of the conversation.” To that end, USAID’s Agency Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning (KMOL) function facilitated conversations with multilateral and bilateral donors and local organizations to understand how organizations define, utilize, and incorporate local knowledge into their programmatic and operational activities. Using qualitative tools to gather data for this report, the research team explored five overarching themes: 1. Local Knowledge Nomenclature and Definitions 2. Best Practices 3. Outcomes 4. Ethics and Power Dynamics 5. Challenges CY - Washington DC DA - 2022/07// PY - 2022 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - USAID ER - TY - JOUR TI - Achieving disability inclusive employment – Are the current approaches deep enough? AU - Shaw, Jackie AU - Wickenden, Mary AU - Thompson, Stephen AU - Mader, Philip T2 - Journal of International Development AB - Diverse approaches to promoting disability inclusive employment aim to transform workplaces into truly inclusive environments, usually with intervention strategies targeting two main groups: employers and jobseekers with disabilities. However, they do not always consider other relevant stakeholders or address the relationships and interactions between diverse actors in the wider social ecosystem. These approaches often neglect deeper ‘vexing’ difficulties which block progress towards disability inclusive work environments. Most interventions rightly embrace hegemonic ‘social models of disability’ and use human rights arguments but may neglect entrenched structural factors. Disability inclusive employment is complex, with unaddressed invisible aspects that continue to limit progress. We explore some key relevant disability concepts and then interrogate evidence from the ‘Inclusion Works’ programme working in four middle- and low-income countries, considering some intractable barriers underlying the slow movement towards inclusive employment. Finally, we propose that a more participatory action orientated approach involving disabled people and others is needed to both generate deeper understanding and provide pathways towards new solutions to obstinate problems through progressive action learning processes in context. Programmatic interventions that work across the levels of the ecosystem and address power relations and interactions between stakeholders could lead to more substantial forms of disability inclusive employment. DA - 2022/07// PY - 2022 DO - 10.1002/jid.3692 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - n/a IS - n/a LA - en SN - 1099-1328 UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jid.3692 Y2 - 2022/08/04/09:03:26 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Evidence-led adaptive programming: Lessons from MUVA AU - Sharp, Samuel AU - Riemenschneider, Nils AU - Selvester, Kerry AB - Calls for more ‘adaptive programming’ have been prominent in international development practice for over a decade. Learning-by-doing is a crucial element of this, but programmes have often found it challenging to become more learning oriented. Establishing some form of reflective practice, against countervailing incentives, is difficult. Incorporating data collection processes that generate useful, timely and practical information to inform these reflections is even more so.This paper explores MUVA - an adaptive female economic empowerment programme in Mozambique. MUVA, we suggest, is atypically evidence-led. It combines systematic, inclusive reflective practice with extensive real-time data collection. We describe the fundamental features of MUVA’s monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) approach that supported this. One, how data collection and analysis are synchronised with set cycles for learning and adapting projects. Two, how MEL systems are designed to prioritise actionable learning, with data collection oriented more to the needs of implementing staff than to the reporting requirements of funders.This approach was enabled by building collective ownership over the programme’s objectives and the purpose of MEL from the outset. Implementers are asked about their motivations, and these are related to the programme’s Theory of Change. The evidence culture is supported by the proximity of MEL staff to implementing staff; and through structuring upwards accountability to funders around justifying evidence-based adaptations instead of reporting on more narrow indicators. We conclude by considering the relevance, or not, of MUVA’s approach to programmes in other contexts or issue areas trying to replicate a similarly evidence-informed approach to adaptive management. Key messages Learning-by-doing is essential to adaptive programming, but it can be challenging to establish data collection processes that generate useful, timely and practical information. MUVA – a female economic empowerment programme in Mozambique – has an atypically evidence-led adaptive management approach. This has two fundamental features. One, data collection and analysis are synchronised with set cycles for learning and adapting projects. Two, data collection is oriented more to the needs of implementing staff than to the reporting requirements of funders. Monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) systems are designed to prioritise actionable learning. This approach was enabled by building collective ownership over the programme’s objectives and the purpose of MEL from the outset. Implementers are asked about their motivations, and these are related to the programme’s Theory of Change. The evidence culture is supported by the proximity of MEL staff to implementing staff; and through structuring upwards accountability to funders around justifying evidence-based adaptations instead of reporting on more narrow indicators. CY - London DA - 2022/06/29/ PY - 2022 LA - en-gb PB - ODI ST - Evidence-led adaptive programming UR - https://odi.org/en/publications/evidence-led-adaptive-programming-lessons-from-muva/ Y2 - 2022/07/04/10:45:09 ER - TY - SLIDE TI - Using stories in evaluation: Participatory Narrative Inquiry and Sensemaking T2 - gLocal Evaluation Week 2022 AB - Sensemaking and Participatory Narrative Inquiry (PNI) are similar approaches, based on collecting stories about a real life experience from a large number of stakeholders on a topic of interest to the evaluation, and giving the storytellers themselves the responsibility for analyzing and making sense of the stories. Because a large number of stories are collected and self-interpreted, it is possible to conduct quantitative analysis of recurrent themes, perspectives and feelings emerging in the narratives. By combining elements of qualitative and quantitative research, these approaches help to make sense of complex and evolving realities. This session presented the general approach of Sensemaking and PNI. Panelists discussed their experiences with this method, recently used in IFAD and WFP’s evaluations and invited participants to share their own experiences with using stories in evaluation. DA - 2022/06/21/ PY - 2022 M3 - Webinar ST - Using stories in evaluation UR - https://www.evalforward.org/webinars/using-stories Y2 - 2022/07/26/12:40:02 ER - TY - BOOK TI - The Learning Power of Listening AU - Guijt, Irene AU - Gottret, Maria Veronica AU - Hanchar, Anna AU - Deprez, Steff AU - Muckenhirn, Rita AB - Steff had the pleasure to co-author the first SenseMaker Practitioner Guide with a group of friends and colleagues supported and published by Oxfam and CRS. This practical guide is for those who wish to use SenseMaker to conduct assessments, monitor progress, and undertake evaluations or research. Drawing on more than a decade of experience, the authors share dozens of examples from international development, providing practical tips and ideas for context-specific adaptations. They show how the method can be used to for difficult-to-measure outcomes related to poverty reduction, social justice, peacebuilding, resilience, gender norms, behavior change, governance and environmental management. ​ SenseMaker is a unique participatory method of inquiry that encourages and enables novel insights not obtained from conventional quantitative and quantitative and qualitative methods. It is action-oriented and, therefore, well-suited for people needing data- informed insights for adaptive management. "Writing this guide together with Irene, Veronica, Anna and Rita was an enormous learning process in itself and has further shaped our thinking and practice. We hope it will support first-time and experienced users to enhance their practice and that it will inspire people to explore and innovate further with the method." DA - 2022/06/07/ PY - 2022 DP - practicalactionpublishing.com PB - PRACTICAL ACTION PUBLISHING SN - 978-1-78853-200-6 UR - https://practicalactionpublishing.com/book/2622/the-learning-power-of-listening Y2 - 2022/07/26/11:39:48 ER - TY - BLOG TI - (Re)making the case for adaptive management AU - Aston, Thomas T2 - Medium AB - Great overview of what to read on adaptive management. It’s a long one, so I’ve split it into two – second installment tomorrow. Christian Aid Ireland’s recent publication The Difference Learning Makes by Stephen Gray and Andy Carl made a bit of a splash. The study found that Christian Aid Ireland’s application of adaptive programming contributed to better development outcomes and supported more flexible delivery. The much vaunted MUVA programme in Mozambique is also coming to a close and presenting its results from using and adaptive approach. So, it struck me that we might be at a critical juncture in the conversation on adaptive management. We’ve had the crashing to earth of inflated expectations in recent misanthropic reflections, [misanthropic, moi? – Duncan] alongside a fragile institutionalisation of adaptive management in donor agencies, NGOs, and private sector organisations. However, I’d argue that we’ve reached the point where adaptive management has passed the proof-of-concept stage. DA - 2022/06/06/ PY - 2022 LA - en UR - https://thomasmtaston.medium.com/re-making-the-case-for-adaptive-management-d23541954604 Y2 - 2022/06/17/12:51:17 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Thinking and Working Politically on Health Systems Resilience: Learning from the experience of Cameroon, Nepal and South Africa during COVID-19 AU - Williams, Gareth CY - London DA - 2022/06// PY - 2022 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) SP - 6 EP - 16 LA - en PB - TWP Community of Practice ST - Health System Resilience UR - http://www.ijhpm.com/article_3665.html Y2 - 2022/07/26/13:42:58 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Redefining rigour: using stories to evaluate systems change? AU - Lowther, Keira T2 - Centre For Public Impact (CPI) AB - What might a different way of understanding rigour for work in complex adaptive systems look like? DA - 2022/05/31/ PY - 2022 ST - Redefining rigour UR - https://cpi.production.parallax.dev/insights/redefining-rigour-using-stories-to-evaluate-systems-change Y2 - 2022/07/26/11:30:35 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Beyond "Lack of Political Will": Elaborating Political Economy Concepts to Advance "Thinking and Working Politically" Comment on "Health Coverage and Financial Protection in Uganda: A Political Economy Perspective" AU - Ssennyonjo, Aloysius T2 - International Journal of Health Policy and Management AB - Political economy analysis (PEA) has been advanced as critical to understanding the political dimensions of policy change processes. However, political economy (PE) is not a theory on its own but draws on several concepts. Nannini et al, in concert with other scholars, emphasise that politics is characterised by conflict, contestation and negotiation over interests, ideas and power as various agents attempt to influence their context. This commentary reflects how Nannini et al wrestled with these PEA concepts - summarised in their conceptual framework used for PEA of the Ugandan case study on financial risk protection reforms. The central premise is that a common understanding of the PEA concepts (mainly structure-agency interactions, ideas, interests, institutions and power) forms a basis for strategies to advance thinking and working politically. Consequently, I generate several insights into how we can promote politically informed approaches to designing, implementing and evaluating policy reforms and development efforts. DA - 2022/05/22/ PY - 2022 DO - 10.34172/ijhpm.2022.7297 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) SP - 1 J2 - Int J Health Policy Manag LA - en SN - 2322-5939 ST - Beyond "Lack of Political Will" UR - https://www.ijhpm.com/article_4264.html Y2 - 2022/09/29/10:15:56 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Rethinking monitoring and evaluation in complex systems — when learning is a result in itself AU - Innovation, UNDP T2 - Medium AB - By Søren Vester Haldrup, UNDP’s Strategic Innovation Unit DA - 2022/05/20/T12:18:23.460Z PY - 2022 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/@undp.innovation/rethinking-monitoring-and-evaluation-in-complex-systems-when-learning-is-a-result-in-itself-3d1fc90d22fc Y2 - 2022/06/17/11:30:15 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Integrated Governance: Achieving Governance Results and Contributing to Sector Outcomes AU - Frazer, Sarah AU - Granius, Mark AU - Brinkerhoff, Derick W. AU - McGregor, Lisa T2 - RTI Press Publication AB - Achieving broad-based socio-economic development requires interventions that bridge disciplines, strategies, and stakeholders. Effective sustained progress requires more than simply an accumulation of sector projects, and poverty reduction, individual wellbeing, community development, and societal advancement do not fall neatly into sectoral categories. However, researchers and practitioners recognize key operational challenges to achieving effective integration that stem from the structures and processes associated with the current practice of international development. Integration calls for the intentional linking of intervention designs, implementation, and evaluation across sectors and disciplines to achieve mutually reinforcing outcomes. In this report, we summarize the results of a study we conducted to explore the challenges facing governance programs that integrate with sector interventions to achieve governance outcomes and contribute to sector outcomes. Through a review of policy documents and project reports from recent integrated governance programs and interviews with donor and practitioner staff, we found three integrated governance programming variants, an emphasis on citizen and government collaboration to improve service delivery, interventions that serve as the glue between sectors, and a balancing act for indicators to measure contribution to sectoral outcomes. Our analysis identified four key success factors: contextual readiness, the application of learning and adapting approaches, donor support, and recognition of the limitations of integrated governance. We then discuss recommendations and implications and for answering the challenge of integrating governance and sector programming to achieve development outcomes. CY - Research Triangle Park, NC DA - 2022/05/19/ PY - 2022 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) LA - en PB - RTI Press SN - RR-0046-2205 ST - Integrated Governance UR - https://www.rti.org/rti-press-publication/integrated-governance Y2 - 2022/07/01/08:09:30 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Evaluating complex interventions: What are appropriate methods? AU - Masset, Eduardo AB - In the CEDIL Methods brief, ‘Evaluating complex interventions: What are appropriate methods?’ we identify four types of complex development interventions: long causal chain interventions, multicomponent interventions, portfolio interventions, and system-level interventions. These interventions are characterised by multiple activities, multiple outcomes, multiple components, a high level of interconnectedness, and non-linear outcomes. CY - London and Oxford DA - 2022/05/16/T09:22:06+00:00 PY - 2022 LA - en-GB M3 - CEDIL Methods Brief 7 PB - CEDIL UR - https://cedilprogramme.org/publications/cedil-methods-brief/cedil-methods-brief-7/ Y2 - 2022/06/17/12:30:52 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Seeing the Combined Effects of Aid Programmes AU - Burge, Richard AU - Nadelman, Rachel AU - McGee, Rosie AU - Fox, Jonathan AU - Anderson, Colin T2 - IDS Policy Briefing AB - Multiple aid agencies often try to support change in the same places, at the same time, and with similar actors. Surprisingly, their interactions and combined effects are rarely explored. This Policy Briefing describes findings from research conducted on recent aid programmes that overlapped in Mozambique, Nigeria, and Pakistan, and from a webinar with UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) advisors and practitioners. The research found three distinct categories of ‘interaction effects’: synergy, parallel play, and disconnect. We explore how using an ‘interaction effects’ lens in practice could inform aid agency strategies and programming. CY - Brighton DA - 2022/05/10/ PY - 2022 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - IDS SN - 196 UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17391 Y2 - 2022/07/01/09:03:59 ER - TY - BOOK TI - Gambling on Development: Why Some Countries Win and Others Lose AU - Dercon, Stefan DA - 2022/05/05/ PY - 2022 DP - Amazon SP - 360 LA - English PB - C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd SN - 978-1-78738-562-7 ST - Gambling on Development ER - TY - BLOG TI - Can PDIA become a regular part of how a government works? - Building State Capability AU - Harrington, Peter T2 - Building State Capability AB - Institutional change is part of the theory of change of PDIA – scaling through the diffusion of new ways of thinking and greater problem-solving know-how. And once a community of practice reaches critical mass across an eco-system, a tipping point can happen where the eco-system becomes generally more open to novelty, where success is a more effective route to legitimacy, and where leadership is oriented towards value creation. DA - 2022/05/05/T11:47:46+00:00 PY - 2022 LA - en-US ST - Can PDIA become a regular part of how a government works? UR - https://buildingstatecapability.com/2022/05/05/can-pdia-become-a-regular-part-of-how-a-government-works/ Y2 - 2022/07/15/08:31:46 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Locally driven development: Overcoming the obstacles AU - Ingram, George T2 - Working Paper AB - Locally led development is a complex process that the development community, in the U.S. and around the world, has spent several decades trying to get right. Yet, despite all the experience and lessons learned, it feels like we are barely beyond the starting line. This publication aims to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on locally led development, especially as to how the United States can address the obstacles posed by U.S. law, regulation, policy, and practice. It consists of two parts: • An essay by George Ingram that notes the path that has taken us to this point, identifies key obstacles, and invites a discussion of how to overcome impediments and move forward. • A set of 15 commentaries written by development experts that add a range of perspectives and nuances to the discussion DA - 2022/05// PY - 2022 DP - Zotero SP - 58 LA - en PB - Brookings Institution SN - 173 UR - https://www.brookings.edu/essay/locally-driven-development-overcoming-the-obstacles/ Y2 - 2023/04/27/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Measuring and Monitoring Adaptive Learning: A Landscape Review AU - LaFond, Anne AU - Adrian, Haley AB - This landscape review on measuring and monitoring adaptive learning highlights the learning from five adaptive programming guidelines and toolkits and one implementation science framework to inform the monitoring and evaluation of adaptive learning. The introduction of adaptive learning processes and skillsets in global health programming is part of an emerging strategy to advance a learning culture within projects and teams to improve health program performance. The monitoring and evaluation of adaptive learning is an emergent field aiming to monitor how adaptive learning processes have been introduced, how they are used, and whether they are having the intended results. Although there is a growing body of literature on adaptive programming more generally, there is a limited knowledge base on the monitoring and evaluation of adaptive learning interventions and their impacts. Unlike other implementation strategies or program management approaches, there are no standard metrics or a monitoring and evaluation framework to track the integration, implementation, and effectiveness of adaptive learning in health programming. CY - Washington DC DA - 2022/05// PY - 2022 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - USAID MOMENTUM Knowledge Accelerator UR - https://usaidmomentum.org/resource/adaptive-learning-measures-landscape-review/ ER - TY - RPRT TI - Capacity Development in a Participatory Adaptive Programme: the Case of the Clarissa Consortium AU - Widmer, Mireille AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Afroze, Jiniya AU - Malla, Sudhir AU - Healey, Jill AU - Constant, Sendrine T2 - CLARISSA Research and Evidence Paper AB - Doing development differently rests on deliberate efforts to reflect and learn, not just about what programmes are doing and achieving, but about how they are working. This is particularly important for an action research programme like Child Labour: Action- Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia (CLARISSA), which is implemented by a consortium of organisations from across the research and development spectrum, during a rapidly changing global pandemic. Harnessing the potential of diverse skills and complementary strengths across partners in responding to the complex challenge of the worst forms of child labour, requires capacity to work together in novel ways. This Research and Evidence Paper documents how CLARISSA approached capacity development, and what we learnt from our challenges and successes. From the start, the programme incorporated a capacity development strategy resting on self-assessment of a wide range of behavioural and technical competencies that were deemed important for programme implementation, formal training activities, and periodic review of progress through an after-action review (AAR) process. An inventory of capacity development activities that took place during the first year of implementation reveals a wide range of additional, unplanned activities, enabled by the programme’s flexibility and adaptive management strategy. These are organised into eight modalities, according to the individual or collective nature of the activity, and its sequencing – namely, whether capacity development happens prior to, during, or after (from) implementation. We conclude with some reflections on the emergent nature of capacity development. Planning capacity development in an adaptive programme provides a scaffolding in terms of time, resources, and legitimacy that sustains adaptiveness. We also recognise the gaps that remain to be addressed, particularly on scaling up individual learning to collective capabilities, and widening the focus from implementation teams to individuals working at consortium level. CY - Brighton DA - 2022/04/25/ PY - 2022 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - IDS SN - 1 ST - Capacity Development in a Participatory Adaptive Programme UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17351 Y2 - 2022/07/04/11:51:12 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Innovating for inclusive rigour in peacebuilding evaluation AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Báez-Silva, Ángela Maria AU - Deng, Ayak Chol AU - Fairey, Tiffany AU - Rohrbach, Livia AU - Alamoussa, Dioma AU - Bradburn, Helene AU - Cubillos, Edwin AU - Gray, Stephen AU - Wingender, Leslie T2 - Institute of Development Studies AB - Inclusive and rigorous peacebuilding evaluation is both vital and complex. In this blog we share examples of how we are innovating our methodologies to move towards participatory and adaptive practice. DA - 2022/04/22/T09:21:37+00:00 PY - 2022 LA - en-GB UR - https://www.ids.ac.uk/opinions/innovating-for-inclusive-rigour-in-peacebuilding-evaluation/ Y2 - 2022/04/22/14:14:00 ER - TY - VIDEO TI - The collaborative exploration of alternative futures: A different approach to Theories of Change AU - CEDIL programme AB - ParEvo is a web application that enables the collaborative construction and exploration of a range of alternative futures: likely and unlikely, desirable and undesirable. These are described in the form of a branching narrative structure, developed over a series of iterations involving the interactions of a group of participants. These detailed storylines about the future contrast with optimistic, skeletal and largely singular views of the future found in diagrammatic ToCs often encountered by evaluators. This webinar will describe a recent ParEvo exercise implemented by the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) in Cambridge. In this exercise 11 international experts explored ideas about how global risks associated with biotechnology research could be managed, and mismanaged, in the coming four years. Including how these alternative futures were evaluated by participants and the CSER facilitators. Issues to be discussed by the panel, and others, include comparisons with other representations of Theories of Change and other approaches to the exploration of alternative futures, described variously as scenario planning, futures or foresight work. Speakers: Rick Davies, Lara Mani Tom Hobson An overview of the app can be found here: https://mscinnovations.wordpress.com/ The app website is here: https://parevo.org/ DA - 2022/04/13/ PY - 2022 DP - YouTube ST - The collaborative exploration of alternative futures UR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hlbpqfw_ve4 Y2 - 2022/07/01/08:44:57 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Second (and Third) Thoughts on Adaptive Management and Thinking and Working Politically AU - Green, Duncan T2 - From Poverty to Power AB - Self-Critical reflections on AM and TWP. Linking it with The Hype Cycle - "it feels like we are heading downward to the ‘trough of disillusionment’ form the initial peak of ‘inflated expectations’, but we will bounce back to something more sustained, that becomes a permanent feature of the aid landscape". DA - 2022/04/06/ PY - 2022 UR - https://oxfamapps.org/fp2p/second-and-third-thoughts-on-adaptive-management-and-thinking-and-working-politically/ Y2 - 2022/04/06/10:20:58 ER - TY - RPRT TI - System Change: A Guidebook for Adopting Portfolio Approaches AU - Wellsch, Brent AB - This guidebook codifies the principles and methods of applying systems change and portfolio approaches to complex development challenges with practical tools and examples. It is based on the empirical learning generated from the collaborative initiatives in UNDP Country Offices in Bhutan, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Viet Nam with support from Regional Innovation Centre for Asia and the Pacific. CY - Bangkok DA - 2022/03/28/ PY - 2022 LA - en PB - UNDP ST - System Change UR - https://www.undp.org/publications/system-change-guidebook-adopting-portfolio-approaches Y2 - 2023/11/07/10:27:13 ER - TY - BLOG TI - What, so what, now what? AU - Aston, Thomas T2 - Medium AB - Getting serious about systems change DA - 2022/03/18/ PY - 2022 LA - en UR - https://thomasmtaston.medium.com/what-so-what-now-what-4cef4d7e0281 Y2 - 2022/04/01/07:41:15 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Key Issues in Digitalisation and Governance AU - Roberts, Tony AU - Hernandez, Kevin AU - Faith, Becky AU - Prieto Martin, Pedro AB - Digitalisation is perhaps the most important strategic challenge that governance will face over the coming decade. The process is delivering digital dividends as well as new exclusions and injustices, with the rapid but uneven increase in access to mobile and internet technologies transforming how social and economic life takes place. This report highlights the key opportunities and challenges arising from digitalisation. CY - Bern DA - 2022/03// PY - 2022 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - SDC UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17557 Y2 - 2023/06/22/12:44:52 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Lessons Learned From the Use of the Most Significant Change Technique for Adaptive Management of Complex Health Interventions AU - Ohkubo, Saori AU - Mwaikambo, Lisa AU - Salem, Ruwaida M. AU - Ajijola, Lekan AU - Nyachae, Paul AU - Sharma, Mukesh Kumar T2 - Global Health: Science and Practice AB - Introduction:The Most Significant Change (MSC) technique is a complex-aware monitoring and evaluation tool, widely recognized for various adaptive management purposes. The documentation of practical examples using the MSC technique for an ongoing monitoring purpose is limited. We aim to fill the current gap by documenting and sharing the experience and lessons learned of The Challenge Initiative (TCI), which is scaling up evidence-based family planning (FP) and adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH) interventions in 11 countries in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Methods:The qualitative assessment took place in early 2021 to document TCI’s use and adaptation of MSC and determine its added value in adaptive management, routine monitoring, and cross-learning efforts. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were conducted virtually with staff members involved in collecting and selecting MSC stories. Results:TCI has had a positive experience with using MSC to facilitate adaptive management in multiple countries. The use of MSC has created learning opportunities that have helped diffuse evidence-based FP and AYSRH interventions both within and across countries. The responsive feedback step in the MSC process was viewed as indispensable to learning and collaboration. There are several necessary inputs to successful use of the method, including buy-in about the benefits, training on good interviewing techniques and qualitative research, and dedicated staff to manage the process. Conclusion:Our assessment results suggest that the MSC technique is an effective qualitative data collection tool to strengthen routine monitoring and adaptive management efforts that allows for flexibility in how project stakeholders implement the process. The MSC technique could be an important tool for global health practitioners, policy makers, and researchers working on complex interventions because they continually need to understand stakeholders’ needs and priorities, learn from lessons and evidence-based practices, and be agile about addressing potential challenges. DA - 2022/02/28/ PY - 2022 DO - 10.9745/GHSP-D-21-00624 DP - www.ghspjournal.org VL - 10 IS - 1 LA - en SN - 2169-575X UR - https://www.ghspjournal.org/content/10/1/e2100624 Y2 - 2022/05/16/10:09:12 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Evaluating complexity, simplistically AU - Aston, Thomas T2 - Medium AB - A critical appraisal's of CEDIL papers on Evaluating Complex Interventions... A study was recently published by the Centre of Excellence for Development Impact and Learning (CEDIL) entitled Evaluating complex interventions in international development. This is the sort of title that raises great expectations. Complexity is a hugely popular theme and many of us are keen to know more about how to evaluate efforts that seek to achieve results amid complexity. In April 2021, CEDIL conducted a webinar on the paper, and in July 2021 CEDIL published a blog. In September 2021, I wrote a blog expressing some reservations regarding the focus of the study; its apparent over-emphasis on interventions, under-emphasis on context, as well as its choice of some supposedly under-used methods. These methods were: (1) factorial designs; (2) adaptive trials; (3) Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA); (4) synthetic control; (5) agent-based modelling, and system dynamics. DA - 2022/02/16/T14:42:04.608Z PY - 2022 LA - en UR - https://thomasmtaston.medium.com/evaluating-complexity-simplistically-f587778a1b32 Y2 - 2022/06/17/13:00:07 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Theory of Change Workbook: A Step-by-Step Process for Developing or Strengthening Theories of Change AU - Salib, Monalisa AB - While over time theories of change have become synonymous with simple if/then statements, a strong theory of change should actually be a much more detailed, context-specific articulation of how we *theorize* change will happen under a program. DA - 2022/02/15/ PY - 2022 LA - en M3 - Text PB - USAID ST - Theory of Change Workbook UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/library/theory-change-workbook-step-step-process-developing-or-strengthening-theories-change Y2 - 2022/03/17/13:58:01 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Systems Thinking and Practice: A Guide to Concepts, Principles and Tools for FCDO and Partners AU - Woodhill, Jim AU - Millican, Juliet T2 - K4D AB - This guide is a basic reference on systems thinking and practice tailored to the context and needs of the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). It is an output of the FCDO Knowledge for Development Programme (K4D), which facilitated a Learning Journey on Systems Thinking and Practice with FCDO staff during 2021 and 2022. The guide offers a common language and shared framing of systems thinking for FCDO and its partners. It explores what this implies for working practices, business processes and leadership. It also offers links to additional resources and tools on systems thinking. We hope it can support systems thinking to become more commonplace within the culture and practices of FCDO and working relations with partner organisations. CY - Brighton DA - 2022/02/03/ PY - 2022 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Institute of Development Studies ST - Systems Thinking and Practice UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17862 Y2 - 2023/02/08/15:50:53 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Thinking and working politically: What have we learned since 2013? – FP2P AU - Green, Duncan T2 - From Poverty to Power AB - It’s always a red letter day when a new paper from Graham Teskey drops. His most recent is Thinking and working politically: What have we learned since 2013? For those that don’t know him, Graham is a consummate insider-outsider within the aid sector – long stints at DFID (UK), DFAT (Australia) and now Abt (Management Consultants). From this vantage point he has been one of the leading proponents of ‘thinking and working politically’, always ready to call out the hand-wavey academics and demand some practical lessons, please. This paper is part biography of an idea, setting out the timeline, moments and key documents and policy wins in the evolution of TWP (which seems to have involved a lot of seminars that I missed due to Oxfam’s meagre travel budget). The other part is, to be honest, a bit of a lament – a study in ‘Why Change Hasn’t Happened’, because TWP has ‘got lost in the maelstrom’ of the wider, largely negative, changes in the aid sector. Overall, it’s a brilliant summary, and one I’ll be recommending to my increasingly long-suffering activism students…. DA - 2022/02/01/ PY - 2022 UR - https://oxfamapps.org/fp2p/thinking-and-working-politically-what-have-we-learned-since-2013/ Y2 - 2022/02/01/11:37:29 ER - TY - RPRT TI - The Difference Learning Makes - Factors that enable and inhibit adaptive programming AU - Gray, Stephen AU - Carl, Andy AB - Executive Summary When Christian Aid (CA) Ireland devised its multi-country and multi-year Irish Aid funded Programme Grant II (2017-2022), they opted to move away from a linear programme management approach and to explore an adaptive one. Across seven countries: Angola, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe, CA and partner organisations support marginalised communities to realise their rights, reduce violence and address gender inequality. Since 2019, Adapt Peacebuilding has accompanied CA Ireland, CA country teams and partner organisations as they experimented with using a deliberate adaptive approach. The authors were also asked to follow up on an initial study by CA Ireland and Overseas Development Institute in 2018, which described the rationale for adopting this new approach and included early lessons from its first year of implementation. The aim of this study is to help deepen CA Ireland, CA country teams’ and partners’ understanding of (a) whether their application of adaptive programming has resulted in better development outcomes, and (b) how they can better understand the factors that enabled or inhibited the effectiveness of using this approach. Over the past three years, this study has found evidence and multiple examples that show adaptive programming contributed to better development outcomes. The main reasons cited were that these were made possible both from improvements to programming strategies based on proactive reflection and learning, as well as those that stem from the reactive capacity of adaptive programmes to change course in response to unanticipated changes in operating conditions. This study found that adaptive programming has enabled better development practice where organisations are enhancing their skills to better respond and be flexible to contextual challenges. 72% of partners surveyed described adaptive programming as the most useful approach to programme management that they have used. The programme approach has meant that CA and partner staff were better able to explore the significance of change in the context and their contributions to them. It also enabled spaces for meaningful engagement with communities in learning and programme planning processes and encouraged opportunities for experimentation in programming. The study also found that adaptive programming has supported flexible delivery. This led to better outcomes that would not have been possible were the programme not able to make flexible adjustments. The main focus has been the analysis of nine factors that can determine the effectiveness and impact (or otherwise) of using an adaptive approach, flagging important issues for understanding. These factors are identified as: 1) Leadership; 2) Organisational culture; 3) Conceptual understanding; 4) Staff capacities; 5) Partnership approaches; 6) Participation; 7) Methods and tools; 8) Administrative procedures; and 9) The operating context. Together these can provide an analytical framework for assessing an organisation’s ‘adaptive scope’, which can be used as a tool for better understanding an organisation’s potential to generate improved development outcomes via adaptive programming and how to strengthen them. The study concludes with several recommendations for CA Ireland, all of which have relevance for a broader community of donors and implementing organisations interested in the potential of adaptive programming. CY - London DA - 2022/02// PY - 2022 PB - Christian Aid UR - https://www.christianaid.ie/sites/default/files/2022-12/the-difference-learning-makes-factors-that-enable-and-inhibit-adaptive-programming.pdf Y2 - 2024/01/29/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Guidance Note for Adaptive Management AU - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark AB - This note explains what adaptive aid management is; why and when it should be considered; and how it should be applied. It covers all Danish development support channels and modalities, including bilateral country assistance, assistance to and through civil society, the private sector and to and through multilateral organisations. This guide has three chapters. Chapter 1 provides an executive overview of what adaptive management is. Chapter 2 goes deeper into five key operational principles of adaptive management. Chapter 3 details the main tenets of adaptive management processes during the programming cycle. CY - Copenhagen DA - 2022/02// PY - 2022 LA - en PB - Government of Denmark UR - https://amg.um.dk/bilateral-cooperation/guidelines-for-country-strategic-frameworks-programmes-and-projects Y2 - 2023/09/29/09:26:56 ER - TY - RPRT TI - The Patterns of Possibility - How to Recast Relationships to Create Healthier Systems and Better Outcomes AU - Winhall, Jennie AU - Leadbeater, Charles AB - In Building Better Systems, we introduced four keys to unlock system innovation: purpose and power, relationships and resource flows. These four keys make up a set. Systems are often hard to change because power, relationships, and resource flows are locked together in a reinforcing pattern to serve the system’s current purpose. Systems start to change fundamentally when this pattern is disrupted and opened up so that a new configuration can emerge, serving a new purpose. In this article series we delve deeper into these four keys and provide practical advice on how they can be put to use. This article is about relationships. Systems are defined by the patterns of interactions between their parts: their relationships. Those interactions generate the outcomes of the system as a whole. Transforming the outcomes of a system requires remaking its relationships and then unlocking the other keys to system innovation: purpose, power and resources. This shift in relationships allows all those in the system to learn faster, to be more creative. System innovators redesign the relationships in the system to allow dramatically enhanced learning across the system, and thereby generate far better outcomes. CY - København K DA - 2022/02// PY - 2022 LA - en-GB PB - The Rockwool Foundation UR - https://www.systeminnovation.org/article-the-patterns-of-possibility Y2 - 2022/06/17/12:02:20 ER - TY - BLOG TI - PFM Reform Through PDIA: What Works and When it Works AU - Harris, Jamelia AU - Lawson, Andrew T2 - Public Financial Management Blog - IMF DA - 2022/01/31/ PY - 2022 UR - https://blog-pfm.imf.org/pfmblog/2022/01/-pfm-reform-through-pdia-what-works-and-when-it-works-.html#_ftnref1 Y2 - 2022/07/01/10:49:31 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Data-powered positive deviance: Combining traditional and non-traditional data to identify and characterise development-related outperformers AU - Albanna, Basma AU - Heeks, Richard AU - Pawelke, Andreas AU - Boy, Jeremy AU - Handl, Julia AU - Gluecker, Andreas T2 - Development Engineering AB - The positive deviance approach in international development scales practices and strategies of positively-deviant individuals and groups: those who are able to achieve significantly better development outcomes than their peers despite having similar resources and challenges. This approach relies mainly on traditional data sources (e.g. surveys and interviews) for identifying those positive deviants and for discovering their successful solutions. The growing availability of non-traditional digital data (e.g. from remote sensing and mobile phones) relating to individuals, communities and spaces enables data innovation opportunities for positive deviance. Such datasets can identify deviance at geographic and temporal scales that were not possible before. But guidance is needed on how this new data can be employed in the positive deviance approach, and how it can be combined with more traditional data to gain deeper, more meaningful, and context-aware insights. This paper presents such guidance through a data-powered method that combines both traditional and non-traditional data to identify and understand positive deviance in new ways and domains. This method has been developed iteratively through six development projects covering five different domains – sustainable cattle ranching, agricultural productivity, rangeland management, research performance, crime control – with global and local development partners in six countries. The projects combine different types of non-traditional data with official statistics, administrative data and interviews. Here, we describe a structured method for data-powered positive deviance developed from the experience of these projects, and we reflect on lessons learned. We hope to encourage and guide greater use of this new method; enabling development practitioners to make more effective use of the non-traditional digital datasets that are increasingly available. DA - 2022/01/01/ PY - 2022 DO - 10.1016/j.deveng.2021.100090 DP - ScienceDirect VL - 7 SP - 100090 J2 - Development Engineering LA - en SN - 2352-7285 ST - Data-powered positive deviance UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352728521000324 Y2 - 2022/08/24/11:15:24 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Monitoring and evaluation for thinking and working politically AU - Aston, Thomas AU - Roche, Chris AU - Schaaf, Marta AU - Cant, Sue T2 - Evaluation AB - This article explores the challenges of monitoring and evaluating politically informed and adaptive programmes in the international development field. We assess the strengths and weaknesses of some specific evaluation methodologies which have been suggested as particularly appropriate for these kinds of programmes based on scholarly literature and the practical experience of the authors in using them. We suggest that those methods which assume generative causality are particularly well suited to the task. We also conclude that factoring in the politics of uncertainty and evidence generation and use is particularly important in order to recognize and value diverse experiential knowledge, integrate understandings of the local context, accommodate adaptation and realistically grapple with the power relations which are inherent in evaluation processes. DA - 2022/01/01/ PY - 2022 DO - 10.1177/13563890211053028 DP - SAGE Journals VL - 28 IS - 1 SP - 36 EP - 57 J2 - Evaluation LA - en SN - 1356-3890 UR - https://doi.org/10.1177/13563890211053028 Y2 - 2022/03/21/11:55:27 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Civil society organizations and managerialism: On the depoliticization of the adaptive management agenda AU - Gutheil, Lena AU - Koch, Dirk-Jan T2 - Development Policy Review AB - Motivation In the last decade, a movement formed around making aid delivery more adaptive, relying on principles such as context sensitivity, flexibility, and ownership. The approaches seem promising for civil society organizations (CSOs) to fulfil their mission of fostering social transformation. While several donor agencies have started engaging with such approaches, the authors hardly see their political implications in practice. Purpose The article aims to provide evidence on an adaptive project and demonstrate how the social transformative and political nature of adaptive development management is rendered technical and depoliticized in practice. Methods and approach We use a case study of a development programme based on a social transformative policy framework that is implemented through CSOs in Uganda and Vietnam. Data were collected by means of interviews, participant observation and document analysis. Findings We find that, in practice, the social transformative policy framework is competing with managerial logics. We compare this process with the depoliticization of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, finding striking similarities. By using practice theory, we show how managerialism remains the dominant paradigm in the civil society aid sector, fuelling the “anti-politics machine.” Policy implications The article shows that policy frameworks do not always work as intended. Donors should therefore not only change policy frameworks, but also start addressing institutional and operational requirements. DA - 2022/01// PY - 2022 DO - 10.1111/dpr.12630 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - n/a IS - n/a LA - en SN - 1467-7679 ST - Civil society organizations and managerialism UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/dpr.12630 Y2 - 2022/09/29/10:08:22 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Market systems change rubric AU - Loveridge, Donna AB - This systems change rubric describes different performance levels according to various systems elements, such as policy (formal rules), practices and relationships and connections. Programmes can use the rubric to assess the performance of systems to help decide where and how to intervene, or during and post-implementation to conduct progress assessments, and assess the effectiveness of interventions and type, breadth and depth of systems change. Each performance level description highlights the type of data and information that needs to be collected. One analysis is completed, users can compare this to the performance descriptions to see which level best matches the analysis. This helps programmes draw conclusions about systems changes. The rubric was developed in 2020 and tested in 2021 and builds on systems change thinking and frameworks from two previous FSG publications. It can be used as: pre-intervention to conduct an assessment during an intervention to conduct progress assessments and reflect on the effectiveness of interventions to change systems and inform decision making post intervention to make judgements about whether interventions were valuable given the resources, time and effort spent Useful for: Implementation managers to determine the effectiveness of interventions, as well as by Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) teams to track progress against expected outcomes. CY - Oxford DA - 2022/01// PY - 2022 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - Oxford Policy Management ER - TY - JOUR TI - The Relational Work of Systems Change AU - Millgan, Katherine AU - Zerda, Juanita AU - Kania, John T2 - Stanford Social Innovation Review AB - Collective impact efforts must prioritize working together in more relational ways to find systemic solutions to social problems. Sometimes we lose sight of a simple truth about systems: They are made up of people. Despite all of the frameworks and tools at our disposal and all of our learning as a field of practice, purely technical, rational approaches to systems change will not make much of a dent in shifting power or altering our most deeply held beliefs. If most collective impact efforts fall short of supporting people to change in fundamentally consciousness-altering ways, then, the system they are a part of will not significantly change either. However, over the past two decades, the prevailing view among many funders, board members, and institutional leaders has been that only quantifiable and predetermined outcomes can create impact. But if the interrelated, devastating, and deepening crises and divisions over the past two years have taught us anything, it is that complex, adaptive problems defy tidy logic models and reductive technical solutions. It is time to invest our collective energy in more relational and emergent approaches to transforming systems. DA - 2022/01// PY - 2022 DO - 10.48558/MDBH-DA38 LA - en-us UR - https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_relational_work_of_systems_change Y2 - 2023/02/24/12:23:33 ER - TY - RPRT TI - MOTION HANDBOOK - Developing a transformative Theory of Change AU - Palavicino, Carla Alvial AU - Matti, Cristian AU - Witte, Jenny AB - A step-by-step guide on how to develop a Transformative Theory of Change, for innovation projects, programmes and organisations working on systems transformation. The MOTION project was initiated with one key question in mind: how can we help projects and organisations be more transformative, using the framework and concept provided by the multi-level perspective? And what kind of tools, methods and frameworks can we co-design that translate scientific concepts into practises relevant for policy practitioners? This led us into a co-creation journey during which researchers from the Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium (TIPC) and EIT Climate-KIC project partners experimented, reflected and learned from each other in building the approach that we share in this handbook. Through this journey, we gained a deeper understanding of what the portfolio approach means in a transformative system change context and which skills and competences are needed to facilitate processes of co-creation in the science-policy-practice interface. We had the opportunity to configure the key building blocks of our theoretical approach, the Transformative Outcomes, into practical insights and actions that can easily be applied by innovation organisations at many levels. This handbook is the culmination of the journey as it translates key learnings from the MOTION project into practical insights that are relevant to practitioners working on systems transformation. CY - Utrecht DA - 2022/01// PY - 2022 PB - TIPC, Utrecht University UR - https://transitionshub.climate-kic.org/publications/motion-handbook-developing-a-transformative-theory-of-change/ Y2 - 2023/01/24/09:46:49 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Sensemaking Workshop Preparation Guide and Facilitator Guide and Sensemaking Training AU - UNDP AB - Based on experience from running Sensemaking workshops for UNDP offices and government partners, the Asia-Pacific Regional Innovation Centre developed the Sensemaking Preparation Guide and Facilitator Guide to share its knowledge with teams and organization that are interested in using the Sensemaking process. DA - 2022/01// PY - 2022 LA - en PB - UNDP UR - https://www.undp.org/publications/sensemaking-workshop-preparation-guide-and-facilitator-guide-and-sensemaking-training Y2 - 2023/01/24/10:41:38 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Social Accountability and Service Delivery Effectiveness: What is the Evidence for the Role of Sanctions? Background Paper AU - Aston, Tom AU - Zimmer Santos, Grazielli AB - Executive Summary Understanding how civil society can get government to respond to their needs, preferences and demands, and deliver goods and services to citizens is a central concern in social accountability initiatives. It is widely argued that sanctions make a key difference to service delivery outcomes, and that without them, transparency and accountability interventions are less likely to be effective and less likely to be sustainable (Anderson et al., 2020; Arugay, 2016; Fox, 2020; Goetz and Jenkins, 2005; Grandvoinnet et al., 2015; McGee and Gaventa, 2011; Molina et al., 2017; Joshi, 2010; Joshi, 2017; Tsai et al. 2019). In this paper, sanctions refer to the threat or imposition of a punishment for transgressing a rule or norm. Yet, what evidence is there to support the claim that sanctions are king? How much do we actually know about social and formal sanctions and their effectiveness in improving service delivery? Looking at 11 meta-reviews and 35 cases, this background paper sheds light on these questions and the conditions under which sanctions promoted within social accountability interventions may have contributed to improved service delivery. Sanctions, both social and formal, feature very prominently in the scholarly literature related to accountability, so much so that some scholars have argued that it has become synonymous with punishment (Mansbridge, 2014; Schedler, 1999). While it may not be true that these concepts are fully synonymous, this trend in scholarship significantly influenced the thinking of donors such as the Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank over the last two decades (Grandvoinnet et al., 2015; Malena and McNeil, 2010; Moore and Teskey, 2006; World Bank, 2003). As a result, sanctions also feature in the dominant models, or theories of change, in the social accountability sector. Yet, in reviewing 11 meta-reviews in the transparency and accountability sector we found that while there is plenty of theoretical argument asserting the potential effectiveness of social and formal sanctions, there was limited empirical evidence to support the claim that sanctions were key. Our review of 35 cases revealed five mechanisms of change related to social and formal sanctions. These were: (i) “sticks” – response to punishment; (ii) “big brother is watching” – response to threat of formal punishment; (iii) diagonal accountability – response to threat of formal punishment by horizontal accountability agencies; (iv) litigation – response to legal investigations or lawsuits supported by community paralegals and legal aid organizations and; (v) response to “naming and shaming” by civil society and/or media. We challenge the dominant view in scholarship that harder social sanctions and enforcement of stronger formal sanctions are either necessary to the achievement of higher-level service delivery outcomes or that they will deliver better and more sustainable outcomes. We find that both social and formal sanctions can contribute to improving service delivery outcomes across a variety of country contexts. In half of the 35 cases reviewed, we were able to establish a likely link between social or formal sanctions and intermediate effects over the short term with some degree of confidence. These effects ranged from increased service provider awareness and motivation, increased availability of funding, staff, and materials, to improved infrastructure quality, and in a minority of cases impact level changes such as improved test scores. However, the role of sanctions in delivering outcomes was often unclear, outcomes were almost never sustainable, and in close to half of the 35 cases reviewed there were substantial negative effects. These effects ranged from reducing transparency and funding, to discrediting, relocating, and reprisals for advocates and whistle-blowers, threats of violence to collaborating government actors, damaging staff morale, reducing attendance, and generating conflict among staff and between staff and community members and between staff and patients, damaging trust. There are therefore some serious ethical dilemmas associated with sanctioning efforts which need to be carefully considered. We argue that imposing sanctions without building relationships or systems to promote good behavior is unlikely to improve service delivery outcomes in a sustainable way. Another, perhaps surprising, finding was that there are some actors that are regular targets of sanctions, and in many cases, these actors are a lot weaker than is commonly assumed. Three broad types of actors were the most common targets of punishment: (i) absentee nurses or teachers who had their pay or allowances reduced; (ii) offending officials who were either suspended, relocated, or fired; and (iii) contractors who had to cover the cost of rejected materials or faced lawsuits, alongside civil servants involved in contracting. We suggest that closer relationships may perhaps reduce stakeholders’ appetite to impose sanctions. Particularly in the health sector, we found that more proximate relationships created disincentives for confrontation, and in such circumstances, a “policing” approach to monitoring was also deemed inappropriate and counterproductive. Conversely, it seems that actors generally prefer to sanction “others,” i.e., when an actor/organization was outside the group. Short-term consultants, contractors, and suppliers were easy (and quite vulnerable) targets for harder sanctions. It has also been argued that there may be productive combinations of collaborative and confrontational tactics — i.e., hybrids. We found that many supposed confrontational and collaborative hybrids were, in fact, dislocated in time and space. Many so-called “inside-outside” strategies, therefore, seem to be a potential mischaracterization. We also found, as Fung and Wright (2003) argued nearly two decades ago, that adversarial forms of engagement cannot easily be redeployed for collaborative purposes. It is widely argued that supposedly ‘weaker’ forms of citizen engagement are less effective than those with ‘strong enforceability (McGee and Gaventa, 2011).’ We found no compelling evidence to support this contention. A quarter of cases reviewed were collaborative for certain periods or in certain locations. On average, these were slightly more successful when compared with periods or locations when imposing sanctions was a key strategic emphasis. So, soft power can also be powerful. Rather than one approach necessarily being superior (confrontational, collaborative, or hybrid) however, we argue that the best approach is likely to be the one most appropriate to the context. While we were unable to identify strong trends of contextual factors which enabled social and formal sanctions to play a role in enhancing service delivery, we were able to identify several conditions which we believe offer the greatest promise. These conditions were: (i) supportive leaders who played a role as champions; opening doors or accompanying civil society efforts; (ii) high capacity and legal authority of oversight agencies; (iii) competitive elections, which provided windows of opportunity for CSOs to combine political and social accountability efforts, and; (iv) vulnerable public servants and service providers already in relatively precarious situations and are thus easy targets. Overall, our study finds that sometimes sanctions can be effective, but punishment is not the answer to all the world’s problems. Given these limitations, we recommend that it is time to reconsider “carrots” and enquire further into the enabling conditions for bureaucrats and service providers. Relatedly, scholars, evaluators, and program teams should look more closely at service providers’ or civil servants’ motivations and take context into account more seriously. To uncover these contextual and motivational features, we believe that scholars, evaluators, and prprogrameams should also make better use of theory-based and participatory methods. And perhaps most importantly, donors and practitioners should carefully consider and mitigate the potential for backlash from sanctions-based approaches. DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 DP - Zotero LA - en M3 - Background Paper UR - https://thegpsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Social-Accountability-and-the-Effectiveness-of-Sanctions-Background_GS.pdf Y2 - 2023/01/03/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Guidance Note: Practical introduction to adaptive management AU - DT Global AB - DT Global is proud to introduce our new Guidance Note: Practical Introduction to Adaptive Management There is a growing consensus around adaptive management as an effective (even necessary) approach when programs are tackling complex development problems. While there is no standard definition of adaptive management, there is general agreement that such programs need to routinely engage with and respond to program context; constantly test what works in that context; and adjust approaches, plans, and activities based on continuous learning. However, there remains a more limited body of evidence about what this looks like in practice—the enabling conditions, systems, resourcing, skills, and attitudes to effectively operationalise adaptive management. There is also limited guidance around when adaptive management is required, and to what extent—both critical and often overlooked considerations when planning for successful adaptive management. This Guidance Note draws together lessons and good practice in adaptive management from across DT Global’s diverse portfolio of donor-funded programs. It outlines our conceptual framework for adaptive management, with practical guidance on how it can be applied by our program teams. It is also designed to help our teams distinguish adaptive management from good (non adaptive) project management, consider when adaptive management is most useful on a program, and how adaptive a program (or part of a program) should be. DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 PB - DT Global UR - https://dt-global.com/assets/files/dt-global-guidance-note-introduction-to-adaptive-management.pdf Y2 - 2023/01/24/10:25:32 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Evaluating programming that thinks and works politically: Challenges and emerging practice AU - Jacobstein, David AU - Swift, Sarah T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - Issues of power are not new to program evaluation. What is new is a consideration of how programming uses insights into incentives that shape and adapt implementation. How should one evaluate in a way that explicitly assesses the ways in which a program considers power? One of the innovative topics deriving from the democracy and governance space is the approach of thinking and working politically (TWP) which is seeing increased use in development programming. TWP suggests different mental models and practical approaches to achieving development objectives in ways that are more contextually grounded and informed by power dynamics. This article describes several of the core challenges to evaluation of TWP and also a rubric of considerations for more effective evaluation practices in this emerging field. DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 DO - 10.1002/ev.20527 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2022 IS - 176 SP - 69 EP - 78 LA - en SN - 1534-875X ST - Evaluating programming that thinks and works politically UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20527 Y2 - 2023/04/13/09:06:47 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Critical friends - real time insights for shaping strategy AU - Johnson, Debbie AU - Nathan, Geeta AU - Rahman, Syahirah Abdul T2 - Chapters AB - This chapter focuses on facilitation given by the Innovation Caucus to provide expert academic critique to inform Innovate UK's strategy for UK business innovation. As Innovate UK's strategy developed, it became evident that several policy domains needed critical insights and evidence. An academic critical friend provided the latest academic insights, evidence and wider perspective of the actors in the UK Innovation system, insights of which policy makers often lack. The chapter gave case studies of Innovation Caucus' work with Innovate UK in facilitating extensive research expertise and helping policy makers to open dialogue. It also describes 'The Innovators' Breakfast Club', a webinar series organised by Innovation Caucus, co-developed with Innovate UK, which created live face-to-face dialogue between academic experts and Innovate UK strategy/policy leads. This example showed how critical friends are important in facilitating the initial dialogues needed to build evidence for policy making. The dialogue builds the foundation for a virtuous cycle of learning. The approach provides an opportunity for academic experts to gain insights into the priorities and dilemmas facing policy makers, to shape future academic research and refine the skill set needed to become critical friends. DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 DP - ideas.repec.org SP - 104 EP - 112 LA - en UR - https://ideas.repec.org//h/elg/eechap/20351_10.html Y2 - 2023/12/14/21:26:46 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Theory amidst complexity – using process tracing in ex-post evaluations AU - Krueger, Kate AU - Wright, Molly T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - Evaluators who take a complexity-aware approach must consider tradeoffs related to theoretical parsimony, falsifiability, and measurement validity. These tradeoffs may be particularly pronounced with ex-post evaluation designs in which program theory development and monitoring frameworks are often completed before the evaluator is engaged. In this chapter, we argue that theory-based evaluation (TBE) approaches can address unique ex-post evaluation challenges that complexity-aware evaluation (CAE) alone cannot, and that these two sets of approaches are complimentary. We will outline strategies that evaluators may use to conduct rigorous ex-post evaluations of democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) interventions that merge CAE's inductive approaches with a theory-testing structure. It will illustrate these strategies with two case studies of ex-post evaluation using process tracing (PT). DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 DO - 10.1002/ev.20524 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2022 IS - 176 SP - 119 EP - 128 LA - en SN - 1534-875X UR - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20524 Y2 - 2023/04/13/09:21:48 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Human Learning Systems: A practical guide for the curious AU - Lowe, Toby AU - Padmanabhan, Chandrima AU - McCart, Des AU - McNeill, Karen AU - Brogan, Andy AU - Smith, Mark AB - Our new guide provides practical advice to help any organisation working in public service apply the Human Learning Systems approach to their work. In doing so, they will be better equipped to explore, learn and respond to the unique strengths and needs of each person, family and community they serve. CY - London DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 PB - Centre for Public Impact UR - https://www.centreforpublicimpact.org/partnering-for-learning/human-learning-systems/a-practical-guide-for-the-curious48hjg7 Y2 - 2022/08/02/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Context-monitoring for adaptive management AU - Pickwick, Sarah DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 PB - World Vision UR - https://oxfamapps.org/fp2p/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/World-Vision-Context-monitoring-for-adaptive-management-.docx Y2 - 2022/01/12/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Learning to change: The case for systemic learning strategies in the humanitarian sector AU - Ramalingam, Ben AU - Mitchell, John AB - This paper presents the case for systemic organisational change in the humanitarian system. The paper firstly shows that that organisational learning has tended to reinforce existing ways of working and has not been able to shift a culture that values action over reflection. As a result, the rest of the paper asks about the most significant changes in the humanitarian sector CY - London DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 LA - en PB - ALNAP/ODI ST - Learning to change UR - https://www.alnap.org/help-library/learning-to-change-the-case-for-systemic-learning-strategies-in-the-humanitarian-sector Y2 - 2023/05/22/11:05:06 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Learning from Life Story Collection and Analysis with Children who Work in the Leather Sector in Bangladesh AU - Sayem, Mashrique AU - Paul, Sukanta AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Snijder, Mieke AB - CLARISSA (Child Labour: Action-Research-Innovation in South and South-eastern Asia) is a participatory evidence and innovation generating programme. We are generating evidence on the drivers of the worst forms of child labour (WFCL) and exploring how to address them through participatory Action Research (PAR) with children and other stakeholders in the leather supply chain in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Our main intervention modality is Systemic Action Research (SAR) (Burns, 2007), of which life story collection and analysis (LSC&A) is the first step in our participatory design that will inform child-led PAR groups which will become the engines of innovative responses to WFCL. The LSC&A methodology is a storytelling and story listening methodology and was chosen because of the universal power of stories to make sense of complex realities and seek new futures. People across the world like to tell their stories; they like to feel listened to and they are interested in how their story connects and compares to others. By collecting and analysing stories from hundreds of children in WFCL we can visualise the bigger system that each individual story is connected to. We hypothesize that through engagement in the process of telling, listening, collecting, and analysing life stories, children engaged in harmful and hazardous work will use their understanding of systems dynamics to move into creating their own solutions to the drivers of WFCL. In 2021 in Bangladesh, we collected 405 life stories from children living in Hazaribagh, Hemayetpur, Lalbagh, and Bhairab in Dhaka, with more than one hundred of these stories collected by children themselves. Following the story collection and transcription, children were supported by the CLARISSA implementation team to collectively analyse the stories through identifying critical ‘factors’ (events which have causes and consequences) and understanding how they causally relate to each other. The analysis of the 405 life stories resulted in the development of large system maps that illustrate all the causal dynamics that underpin lived experiences of WFCL. Based on the systemic analysis process the children identified themes of the PAR to be set up in their localities. Our experience with the LSC&A methodology is the first in the context of children in WFCL. The methodology has been used in one other project in Bangladesh to date. We therefore intentionally aimed to learn from the implementation process and to evaluate if and how the telling of, listening to, collecting and analysing of life stories is empowering and in turn whether it leads to increased ownership of the problems which motivates collective action (Burns, 2021). In this learning note we share our methodological learning and reflect on operational implications for designing and facilitating an LSC&A process with children which we hope will support adaptation and use of the methodology by others working in participatory programming with children. DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/17553 Y2 - 2024/02/16/15:31:29 ER - TY - BOOK TI - Lives Amid Violence: Transforming Development in the Wake of Conflict AU - Schomerus, Mareike AB - Violent conflict and its aftermath are pressing problems, particularly for international development initiatives. However, the results of development in conflict contexts have generally been disappointing and their preventative potential thus questionable. Available Open Access, Lives Amid Violence argues that this is because practitioners adhere to a mental model that emphasises linearity, certainty, and causality, assuming that violence is best addressed through work plans that deliver state-building, stabilisation and services. Based on ten years of multi-method research from, in, and on conflict-affected countries, this book challenges this approach.Drawing on a significant collaborative body of scholarship, this work puts forward original and generalizable conclusions about how lives amid violence persist, offering an invitation to abandon restricting mental models and to embrace creative ways of thinking and working. These include paying attention to the long-term effects of conflict on individual behaviour and decision-making, the social realities of economic life, the role service delivery plays in negotiations between citizens and states, and to creating meaningful relationships. Transformation also requires reflection and therefore the book concludes with constructive suggestions on how to practice these insights to better support those whose lives are shaped by violence.More details are available at www.transformingdevelopment.orgThe eBook editions of this book are available open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 licence on bloomsburycollections.com. CY - New York, NY DA - 2022//01/Diciembre PY - 2022 DP - Amazon SP - 320 LA - Inglés SN - 978-0-7556-4083-6 ST - Lives Amid Violence UR - https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/book/lives-amid-violence-transforming-development-in-the-wake-of-conflict/ Y2 - 2023/03/21/00:00:00 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Nimble adaptation: Tailoring monitoring, evaluation, and learning methods to provide actionable data in complex environments AU - Serpe, Lauren AU - Ingram, Mason AU - Byom, Kate T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - This chapter examines good practices in implementing effective Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) systems within complex international development Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) programs, which are characterized by challenges of non-linearity, limited evidence of theories of change, and contextual and politically contingent nature of outcomes. The chapter presents three cases of MEL systems in complex projects implemented by Pact across distinct and diverse operating contexts – Zimbabwe, Cambodia, and Somalia – to illustrate those projects’ MEL approaches that enabled continuous adaptation. The authors analyze the cases to respond to two questions: (1) What are the key elements of effective adaptive management-focused MEL systems in complex environments? (2) What is practical guidance for designing and enabling complexity-responsive and effective adaptive management-focused MEL systems? The case studies illustrate three key elements: (1) Information gathering that closely links context, research, and performance data; (2) Systems for reflection that offer scheduled learning moments of varying frequency and intensity, as well as multiple feedback mechanisms; and (3) Enabling structures that promote adaptive mindsets and attitudes within project teams. DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 DO - 10.1002/ev.20523 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2022 IS - 176 SP - 97 EP - 106 LA - en SN - 1534-875X ST - Nimble adaptation UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20523 Y2 - 2023/04/13/09:10:18 ER - TY - MGZN TI - Be a participant not a spectator AU - Sharp, Cathy T2 - The Evaluator - UK Evaluation Society AB - My focus here is on the realities of evaluating in complexity where ‘nothing is clear, and everything keeps changing’. I outline how I use a series of ‘provocations’ that allow people to choose their own starting point. Sharing those choices fuels conversations that discover, explore, and co-create (rather than manage) our mutual expectations and assumptions and track how these might themselves be influenced by the work as it unfolds. This account draws on a review of literature and my practice experience, including reflections from others brought into local, national, and international conversations about what it means for evaluation to recognise complexity. DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 IS - Spring UR - https://research-for-real.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Cathy-Sharp-Be-a-participant-not-a-spectator-Winner-Dione-Hills-Tavistock-UKES-prize.pdf Y2 - 2023/05/22/14:20:32 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Storytelling for Systems Change: insights from the field AU - Thea Snow AU - David Murikumthara AU - Teya Dusseldorp AU - Rachel Fyfe AU - Lila Wolff AU - Jane McCracken AB - Capturing the impact of community-led work The Centre for Public Impact, Dusseldorp Forum, and Hands Up Mallee have been exploring how stories can be used to more effectively communicate the impact of community-led systems change work. Community-led place based initiatives are modelling new ways of working - shifting away from top down, program-focussed approaches towards an approach grounded in systems thinking and community-led innovations. However, while these stories of change are sitting in communities, they’re often not being told or celebrated. We wanted to understand why this is, and what might be done to better enable these stories to be shared and heard. The story of storytelling We talked to a range of people to uncover the story of storytelling - including collective impact backbone team members, community members, storytelling experts, and those working in and around community-led systems change initiatives across Australia. We explored the roles stories play in different communities; what good storytelling looks like; what barriers to storytelling might be; and what role stories can play in supporting systems change. Our findings We have learned through this project that stories can be used both to change the system and to evaluate, understand and showcase the change that is occurring in communities. We have heard that different stories require different approaches – stories that are seeking to enable change look different to those that are seeking to celebrate change. DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 PB - Centre for Public Impact UR - https://www.centreforpublicimpact.org/assets/documents/storytelling-for-systems-change-report.pdf Y2 - 2022/07/26/11:32:15 ER - TY - RPRT TI - What is the Outcomes Star? AU - Triangle AB - The Outcomes Stars are a suite of evidence-based outcomes measurement and keywork tools, which drive an ‘enabling help’ approach to service delivery. They support a person-centred, collaborative and trauma informed approach and give service users, workers, managers and commissioners vital information about needs and progress. Since the first version was published in 2006, the unique features of the Outcomes Star contributed to its popularity and widespread use, with over 1,000 organisations with licenses to use the Star including over 500 charities and 170 local authorities CY - London DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 PB - Triangle UR - https://www.outcomesstar.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Why-choose-the-Outcomes-Star-_-final1.pdf Y2 - 2023/04/27/13:26:17 ER - TY - RPRT TI - An introductory systems thinking toolkit for civil servants AU - UK Government AB - This document is a an Introductory Toolkit for for civil servants. It is one component of a suite of documents that aims to act as a springboard into systems thinking for civil servants unfamiliar with this approach. These documents introduce a small sample of systems thinking concepts and tools, chosen due to their accessibility and alignment to civil service policy development, but which is by no means comprehensive. They are intended to act as a first step towards using systems thinking approaches to solve complex problems and the reader is encourage to explore the wider systems thinking field further. CY - London DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 LA - en PB - UK Government Office for Science UR - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/systems-thinking-for-civil-servants/toolkit Y2 - 2023/02/08/15:56:28 ER - TY - RPRT TI - The UNDP Accelerator Labs enter a year of maturity: let a thousand flowers bloom! - Annual report 2022 AU - UNDP accelerator labs AB - The UNDP Accelerator Labs were designed as an agile and dynamic Network to allow communication and information transfer between 91 Accelerator Labs in 115 countries, and with the global innovation ecosystem, UNDP as a whole, and thousands of partners including grassroots innovators and their communities. The accumulated knowledge of this Network creates new pathways to the solutions that hold the key to sustainable development problems. What it looked like and how it unfolded last year will be illuminated in this annual report: The UNDP Accelerator Labs enter a year of maturity: let a thousand flowers bloom! DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 PB - UNDP UR - https://www.undp.org/acceleratorlabs/publications/annualreport2022 Y2 - 2023/10/20/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - CLA Maturity Tool - Card Deck (Implementing Partners version 1) AU - USAID LEARN AB - USAID’s Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning (PPL) and its support mechanism, LEARN, have developed a Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Framework and Maturity tool to help USAID missions think more deliberately about how to plan for and implement CLA approaches that fit the mission’s context and assist them in achieving their development objectives. While the tool is intended primarily for USAID audiences to be used in participatory self-assessment workshops, the CLA Framework and maturity spectrum are relevant to a wider audience. USAID’s CLA Framework identifies key components and subcomponents of daily work that may be opportunities for intentional, systematic, and resourced CLA. The framework recognizes the diversity of what CLA can look like in various organizations and programs while also giving CLA structure, clarity, and coherence across two key dimensions: • CLA in the Program Cycle: how CLA is incorporated throughout Program Cycle processes, including strategy, project, and activity design and implementation; and • Enabling Conditions: how an organization’s culture, business processes, and resource allocation support CLA integration. Recognizing that CLA is not binary—it’s not an issue of “doing it or not doing it”—PPL and LEARN have developed a spectrum of practice for each of the 16 subcomponents in the framework. The spectrum offers examples of what integration might look like at different stages: Not Yet Present, Emergent, Expanding, Advanced and Institutionalized. The maturity stage descriptions are only illustrative and are intended to spark reflection on current practice and opportunities for improvements. In this resource, each CLA subcomponent page describes the key concepts for that topic and includes a description of the maturity stages. Although the descriptions were originally developed for USAID, the majority of the concepts easily transfer or have equivalents in the partner community. For example, although organizations outside of USAID may not hold “Portfolio Reviews” (part of the Pause & Reflect subcomponent), the majority hold some type of meeting to review programmatic progress. This is the seventh version of the CLA Framework and maturity spectrum. PPL and LEARN will continue reviewed and periodically update them based on user feedback, so if you have comments about the content, please email learning@usaid.gov. We would also love to hear how you’ve used this content with your team or organization. CY - Washington DC DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 PB - USAID UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/sites/default/files/2022-08/508c_cla_maturity_tool_card_deck_ip_v1_2022-07-29.pdf Y2 - 2023/01/03/12:59:23 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Collaborating, Learning and Adapting (CLA) Maturity Spectrum (v7) AU - USAID LEARN AB - USAID’s Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning (PPL) and its support mechanism, LEARN, have developed a Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) Framework and Maturity tool to help USAID missions think more deliberately about how to plan for and implement CLA approaches that fit the mission’s context and assist them in achieving their development objectives. While the tool is intended primarily for USAID audiences to be used in participatory self-assessment workshops, the CLA Framework and maturity spectrum are relevant to a wider audience. USAID’s CLA Framework identifies key components and subcomponents of daily work that may be opportunities for intentional, systematic, and resourced CLA. The framework recognizes the diversity of what CLA can look like in various organizations and programs while also giving CLA structure, clarity, and coherence across two key dimensions: • CLA in the Program Cycle: how CLA is incorporated throughout Program Cycle processes, including strategy, project, and activity design and implementation; and • Enabling Conditions: how an organization’s culture, business processes, and resource allocation support CLA integration. Recognizing that CLA is not binary—it’s not an issue of “doing it or not doing it”—PPL and LEARN have developed a spectrum of practice for each of the 16 subcomponents in the framework. The spectrum offers examples of what integration might look like at different stages: Not Yet Present, Emergent, Expanding, Advanced and Institutionalized. The maturity stage descriptions are only illustrative and are intended to spark reflection on current practice and opportunities for improvements. In this resource, each CLA subcomponent page describes the key concepts for that topic and includes a description of the maturity stages. Although the descriptions were originally developed for USAID, the majority of the concepts easily transfer or have equivalents in the partner community. For example, although organizations outside of USAID may not hold “Portfolio Reviews” (part of the Pause & Reflect subcomponent), the majority hold some type of meeting to review programmatic progress. This is the seventh version of the CLA Framework and maturity spectrum. PPL and LEARN will continue reviewed and periodically update them based on user feedback, so if you have comments about the content, please email learning@usaid.gov. We would also love to hear how you’ve used this content with your team or organization. CY - Washington DC DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 PB - USAID UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/sites/default/files/resource/files/cla_maturity_spectrum_handouts_20170612_0.pdf Y2 - 2023/01/03/12:55:47 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting Framework & Key Concepts (Implementing Partner Version 1) AU - USAID LEARN AB - Although collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) are not new to USAID and its implementing partners, they often do not happen regularly or systematically and are not intentionally resourced. The CLA Framework above identifies components and subcomponents to help you think more deliberately about what approach to CLA might be best tailored to your organizational or project context. The framework recognizes the diversity of what CLA can look like in various organizations and projects while also giving CLA structure, clarity, and coherence across two key dimensions: - CLA in the Program Cycle: how CLA is incorporated into planning and design processes throughout the Program Cycle in order to improve their effectiveness; and - Enabling Conditions: how an organization’s culture, daily operating processes, and resource allocation support CLA integration. Organizations need both integrated CLA practices appropriate for their context and conducive enabling conditions to become stronger learning organizations capable of managing adaptively. The framework stresses the holistic and integrated nature of the various components of CLA to reinforce the principle that CLA is not a separate workstream—it should be integrated into existing processes to strengthen the discipline of development and improve aid effectiveness. CY - Washington DC DA - 2022/// PY - 2022 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - USAID UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/sites/default/files/2022-08/508c_cla_maturity_tool_card_deck_ip_v1_2022-07-29.pdf Y2 - 2023/01/03/12:59:23 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Evaluating complex interventions in international development AU - Masset, Edoardo AU - Shrestha, S. AU - Juden, M. T2 - CEDIL Methods Working Paper 6 AB - This paper reviews promising methods for the evaluation of complex interventions that are new or have been used in a limited way. It offers a taxonomy of complex interventions in international development and draws on literature to discuss several methods that can be used to evaluate these interventions. Complex interventions are those that are characterised by multiple components, multiple stakeholders, or multiple target populations. They may also be interventions that incorporate multiple processes of behavioural change. While such interventions are very common and receive a large proportion of development aid budgets, they are rarely subject to rigorous evaluations. The CEDIL Methods Working Paper, ‘Evaluating Complex Interventions in International Development’, reviews promising methods for the evaluation of complex interventions that are new or have been used in a limited way. It offers a taxonomy of complex interventions in international development and draws on literature to discuss several methods that can be used to evaluate these interventions. The paper focuses its attention on methods that address causality and allow us to state conclusively whether an intervention works or not. It shows that several rigorous methods developed in different disciplines can be adapted and used to evaluate complex interventions in international development. CY - London and Oxford DA - 2021/12// PY - 2021 LA - en-GB PB - CEDIL UR - https://cedilprogramme.org/publications/cedil-methods-working-paper-6/ Y2 - 2022/06/17/12:31:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Thinking and working politically: What have we learned since 2013 AU - Teskey, Graham AB - The Thinking and Working Politically (TWP) Community of Practice (CoP) was established at a small meeting tacked on at the end of a meeting of Governance Advisers working for the United Kingdom’s Department of International Development (DFID) on South and South-East Asian countries, held in Delhi in November 2013. Since then, a number of meetings have been held throughout the world, each addressing different issues; ‘TWP’ has entered the lexicon of mainstream development; the CoP has expanded to more than 300 people; a Washington DC chapter has been established; and the International CoP has been granted modest funding from DFID’s successor, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). It is legitimate to ask, however, what has been achieved operationally: how have the ideas underpinning TWP affected operational practice? This short paper traces the evolution of the idea and practice of TWP from 2013 to late 2021, and identifies what we have learned. What has been successful, and what has not? I asked in 2017 whether TWP had become a second orthodoxy (Teskey, 2017). Did this represent hubris or was 2017 in some ways the apogee of what might rather grandly be called the TWP ‘movement’? DA - 2021/12// PY - 2021 DP - Zotero SP - 24 LA - en PB - TWP Community of Practice ER - TY - BOOK TI - Inclusive participatory approaches: A facilitator’s guide AU - Zaremba, Haley AU - Elias, Marlène AU - Devi, J. Tulasi AU - Priyadarshini, Pratiti AB - In community engagement and participatory processes, facilitators must make intentional efforts and adopt inclusive strategies to include marginalized and frequently overlooked groups. Yet, there is a lack of guidance on how to inclusively facilitate participatory processes. Facilitators are therefore often poorly prepared to engage with the power relations that underlie these processes, including those between the facilitator and participants and among participants themselves. This guide addresses this shortcoming by presenting strategies that have been shown to enhance the meaningful participation of women and marginalized groups in participatory processes. The aim is to equip facilitators with tools to create inclusive participatory spaces and community engagement. Although it refers to processes related to natural resource management, the guide is also applicable to the facilitation of participatory processes focusing on other issues or fields of significance to communities. DA - 2021/12// PY - 2021 DP - cgspace.cgiar.org LA - en SN - 978-92-9255-234-3 ST - Inclusive participatory approaches UR - https://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/117461 Y2 - 2023/10/17/13:45:26 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Understanding Governance from the Margins: What Does It Mean In Practice? AU - Barnes, Katrina, Barnes, Katrina AU - Anderson, Colin AU - de Chassy, Stephanie AU - Ahmed, Affaf AU - Ali, Mudabbir AU - Aung, Myo Min AU - Chaimite, Egidio AU - Joshi, Anuradha AU - Khan, Danyal AU - Loureiro, Miguel AU - Posse, Lucio AU - Rowlands, Jo AU - Shankland, Alex AU - Wazir, Rizwan AB - What does governance look like ‘from below’ – from the perspectives of poor and marginalised households? How do patterns of conflict affect that? These were the questions at the heart of the Governance at the Margins research project. Over three years from 2017-2020 we worked to explore this through in-depth study in conflict-affected areas of Mozambique, Myanmar, and Pakistan. Our research teams interviewed the same people regularly over that time, finding out how they resolved problems and interacted with authorities. In this paper we connect what we found to the realities and complexities of development practice, drawing on the input of 20 experienced practitioners working in bilateral and multilateral development agencies and international NGOs, who generously gave their time to help us think through the practical implications of our wealth of findings. CY - Brighton DA - 2021/11/29/ PY - 2021 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) PB - Institute of Development Studies (IDS) ST - Understanding Governance from the Margins UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/16975 Y2 - 2022/01/11/09:43:44 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Getting Real about Unknowns in Complex Policy Work AU - Andrews, Matt AB - As with all public policy work, education policies are demanding. Policy workers need to ‘know’ a lot—about the problems they are addressing, the people who need to be engaged, the promises they can make in response, the context they are working in, and the processes they will follow to implement. Most policy workers answer questions about such issues within the structures of plan and control processes used to devise budgets and projects. These structures limit their knowledge gathering, organization and sense-making activities to up-front planning activities, and even though sophisticated tools like Theories of Change suggest planners ‘know’ all that is needed for policy success, they often do not. Policies are often fraught with ‘unknowns’ that cannot be captured in passive planning processes and thus repeatedly undermine even the best laid plans. Through a novel strategy that asks how much one knows about the answers to 25 essential policy questions, and an application to recent education policy interventions in Mozambique, this paper shows that it is possible to get real about unknowns in policy work. Just recognizing these unknowns exist—and understanding why they do and what kind of challenge they pose to policy workers—can help promote a more modest and realistic approach to doing complex policy work. CY - Oxford DA - 2021/11/24/ PY - 2021 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) LA - en M3 - RISE Working Paper PB - Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE) SN - 21/083 UR - https://riseprogramme.org/publications/getting-real-about-unknowns-complex-policy-work Y2 - 2021/12/16/15:37:35 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Technical assistance: a practical account of the challenges in design and implementation AU - Nastase, Alexandra AU - Rajan, Alok AU - French, Ben AU - Bhattacharya, Debarshi T2 - Gates Open Research AB - Technical assistance is provided to country governments as part of international development programmes to support policymaking or strengthen state capability. This article presents the conceptual evolution of ‘technical assistance’ linked to capacity development, starting with programmes aiming exclusively to enhance individual capacity in the 1950s to 1970s and progressing to complex systems approaches in the past ten years. It also presents some of the frequent challenges in designing and implementing technical assistance, drawing from the existing literature and the authors’ experience in international development. The article summarises the latest thinking about delivering more effective development, including the adaptive management practices and the initiatives to strengthen evidence about what works. Finally, we complement this article with a follow-up open letter reflecting on the current policy options and opportunities for change. DA - 2021/11/19/ PY - 2021 DO - 10.12688/gatesopenres.13205.2 DP - PubMed Central VL - 4 SP - 177 J2 - Gates Open Res SN - 2572-4754 ST - Technical assistance UR - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8920999/ Y2 - 2023/10/20/12:16:36 ER - TY - RPRT TI - DPPD Handbook. A step-by-step guide for development practitioners to apply the Data Powered Positive Deviance method AU - DPPD AB - The Method Positive Deviance (PD) is based on the observation that in every community or organization, there are a few individuals who achieve significantly better outcomes than their peers, despite having similar challenges and resources. These individuals are referred to as positive deviants, and adopting their solutions is what is referred to as the PD approach¹. The method described in this Handbook follows the same logic as the PD approach but uses pre-existing, non-traditional data sources instead of — or in conjunction with — traditional data sources. Non-traditional data in this context broadly refers to data that is digitally captured (e.g. mobile phone records and financial data), mediated (e.g. social media and online data), or observed (e.g. satellite imagery). The integration of such data to complement traditional data sources generally used in PD is what we refer to as Data Powered Positive Deviance² (DPPD). The digital data opportunity Recent developments in the availability of digital data provide an opportunity to look for positive deviants³ in new ways and in unprecedented geographical and on temporal scales. A number of studies⁴ have described the challenges related to the application of the PD approach in development. Given these challenges, there are obvious opportunities for innovation in PD and our particular interest here is in the innovative opportunities offered by non-traditional data, following the increasing “datafication” of development and the growing availability of big datasets in a variety of development sectors⁵. DPPD builds on this and expands our ability to extract value from non-traditional digital data while providing a systematic process for leveraging local know-how and the collective wisdom of communities. Data Powered Positive Deviance The DPPD method described in this Handbook emerged from a process of research and testing and follows the same stages as the PD approach. The difference is that DPPD integrates pre-existing, non-traditional data across the five stages, requiring a series of new and specific methods and practices that are not required in the PD approach. The first stage is also somewhat different because it not only defines the problem, but it also checks if it is suitable and feasible to use the DPPD method for the proposed project. Table 1 lists the five stages of the DPPD method. This Handbook dedicates a section to each stage. Stage 1 Assess problem-method fit Stage 2 Determine positive deviants Stage 3 Discover underlying factors Stage 4 Design and implement interventions Stage 5 Monitor and evaluate DA - 2021/11// PY - 2021 PB - DPPD Initiative UR - https://static1.squarespace.com/static/614dae085246883818475c39/t/619f7f163ed02a77d13fd1bd/1637842759939/DPPD+Handbook+Nov+2021.pdf Y2 - 2021/11/25/15:51:12 ER - TY - RPRT TI - System Innovation on Purpose AU - Leadbeater, Charles AU - Winhall, Jennie AB - In Building Better Systems, we introduced four keys to unlock system innovation: purpose and power, relationships and resource flows. These four keys make up a set. Systems are often hard to change because power, relationships, and resource flows are locked together in a reinforcing pattern to serve the system’s current purpose. Systems start to change fundamentally when this pattern is disrupted and opened up. Then a new configuration can emerge, serving a new purpose. In this essay series we delve deeper into these four keys and provide practical advice on how they can be put to use. This essay is about the role that purpose plays in orchestrating complex systems and how system innovators can create a new system around a new sense of purpose. CY - København K DA - 2021/11// PY - 2021 LA - en-GB PB - The Rockwool Foundation UR - https://www.systeminnovation.org/article-the-patterns-of-possibility Y2 - 2022/06/17/12:02:20 ER - TY - BOOK TI - The Systems Work of Social Change: How to Harness Connection, Context, and Power to Cultivate Deep and Enduring Change AU - Rayner, Cynthia AU - Bonnici, François AB - The issues of poverty, inequality, racial justice, and climate change have never been more pressing or paralyzing. Current approaches to social change, which rely on industrial models of production and power to "solve" social problems, are not helping. In fact, they are designed to entrench the status quo. In The Systems Work of Social Change, Cynthia Rayner and François Bonnici draw on two hundred years of history and a treasure trove of stories of committed social changemakers to uncover principles and practices for social change that radically depart from these approaches. Rather than delivering "solutions," these principles and practices focus on the process of change itself. Through rich storytelling and lucid analysis, Rayner and Bonnici show that connection, context, and power sit at the heart of the change process, ensuring broader agency for people and communities to create social systems that are responsive and representative in a rapidly changing world. Simple yet profound, this book distills a timely set of lessons for practitioners, leaders, scholars, and policymakers. CY - Oxford DA - 2021/10/12/ PY - 2021 DP - Amazon SP - 304 LA - English PB - OUP Oxford SN - 978-0-19-885745-7 ST - The Systems Work of Social Change UR - https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Cynthia-Senior-Researcher-Senior-Researcher-Graduate-School-Rayner/The-Systems-Work-of-Social-Change--How-to-Harness-Connect/25942985 Y2 - 2023/02/24/11:28:19 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Are we there yet? Localisation as the journey towards locally  led practice: models, approaches and challenges AU - Baguios, Arbie AU - King, Maia AU - Martins, Alex AU - Pinnington, Rose AB - Localisation and locally led international development practice has long been discussed, but has still not been delivered. Systemic barriers have posed challenges, and the term itself is contested. Now, the last tumultuous 18 months could provide a critical juncture to finally move forward with this crucial agenda. The pandemic has highlighted structural inequalities in the global system, and disrupted ways of working in the international development sector. The Black Lives Matter movement has brought conversations about racism and colonialism to the fore. And the climate crisis has highlighted the need for global action on humanity’s challenges that remain rooted in local realities. The emerging analysis in this review aims to set out the key issues in this agenda, building on a wealth of existing knowledge. It aims to span sectors, highlighting many new and existing models and approaches in the humanitarian, development, philanthropic and private sectors. It reviews the barriers and challenges to localisation and locally led practice, with a view to informing a campaign for systemic change to move forward with this agenda. The review is based on: a rapid review of the literature and evidence on localisation and locally led practice; two consultations with over 100 total participants, targeted at Global South actors; and analysis of 28 existing models and approaches. CY - London DA - 2021/10// PY - 2021 DP - Zotero SP - 70 LA - en PB - ODI UR - https://odi.org/en/publications/are-we-there-yet-localisation-as-the-journey-towards-locally-led-practice/ Y2 - 2024/01/31/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Building a culture of learning at scale: learning networks for systems change. AU - McKenzie, Fiona AB - This scoping paper explores the question ‘what would it take to build a culture of learning at scale?’. It focuses on systems-wide learning that can help to inform systems change efforts in complex contexts. To answer this question, literature was reviewed from across diverse disciplines and the realms of education, innovation systems, systems thinking and knowledge management. This inquiry was also supported by in-depth interviews with numerous specialists from the for-purpose sector and the examination of several case studies of learning across systems. The goal was to derive common patterns to inform a ‘learning for systems change’ framework. Learning for systems change is critical when working with complexity. The dynamic nature of complex adaptive systems requires an ability to continually sense and learn from the system and adapt accordingly. This is because the nature of the challenge and ‘what works’ to meet the challenge is continually shifting (Lowe and Plimmer, 2019). This requires an ongoing process of iterative inquiry that draws upon wisdom and insights from across the system. Such learning challenges traditional siloes of expertise and organisational boundaries (Clarke et al., 2019). Learning is not simply a nice to have. It is critical for greater impact and improved outcomes, particularly in mission-driven organisations and initiatives (Price et al., 2019). In this paper, a ‘learning networks’ approach is proposed, one that draws upon individual, group and systems-wide learning to build capacity and resilience for systems change in uncertain environments. This fills a gap in the literature where the focus is largely on learning within organisations. Instead, the focus here is on what is required to support learning to occur across scales and boundaries - from the individual to system-wide. A simple meta-framework for developing learning networks is proposed that includes high level guidance on the enabling conditions - the mindsets, relationships, processes and structures- that would enable learning networks to flourish. DA - 2021/10// PY - 2021 PB - Orange Compass & Paul Ramsay Foundation UR - https://www.orangecompass.com.au/images/Scoping_Paper_Culture_of_Learning.pdf Y2 - 2021/10/28/08:11:20 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Lessons Learned from Applying the Data Powered Positive Deviance AU - Pawelke, Andreas AU - Glücker, Andreas AU - Albanna, Basma AU - Boy, Jeremy AB - This report presents six learnings from four pilot projects conducted by the Data Powered Positive Deviance (DPPD) initiative, a global collaboration between the GIZ Data Lab, the UNDP Accelerator Labs Network, the University of Manchester Center for Digital Development, and UN Global Pulse Lab Jakarta. The pilots seek out grassroots solutions to development challenges that range from the interaction between livestock farming and deforestation to gender-based violence and insecurity in dense urban environments in Ecuador, Mexico, Niger and Somalia. The learnings relate to the early stages of the DPPD method, originally proposed by Albanna & Heeks [1], and focus mainly on the access to, and use of digital data. They are summarized as follows: 1. Remain flexible in the face of data unavailability 2. Leverage existing partnerships for data access 3. Map and fill know-how gaps early 4. Scale with caution 5. Look at deviance over time 6. Look beyond individual or community practices and behavior The report is written for development practitioners, data analysts, domain experts, and more generally anyone interested in using new data sources and technologies to uncover successful local solutions to development challenges. DA - 2021/10// PY - 2021 PB - DPPD ER - TY - RPRT TI - Twenty years of UK governance programmes in Nigeria AU - Piron, Laure-Hélène AU - Cummings, Clare AU - Williams, Gareth AU - Derbyshire, Helen AU - Hadley, Sierd AB - This Flagship report analyses 20 years of governance programmes in Nigeria funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in the North-western states of Jigawa (since 2001), Kano (since 2005) and Kaduna (since 2006), as well as the North-eastern state of Yobe (since 2011). The report’s main research question is whether, how, under what conditions and for whom UK-funded state-level governance programmes in Nigeria have contributed to sustained changes in governance, and related changes in health and education. ... The report concludes with the following recommendations: To international development partners: 1. Invest for the long term – 10 to 20 years – combining support for both state and nonstate actors. 2. Ensure programmes have the strategic-level mandate, managerial capacity and frontline staff skills to pursue politically savvy opportunities. 3. Take PEA to the next level by unpacking causal mechanisms, understanding incentives and designing interventions to make change happen. 4. Give governance programmes the ability to flex between core governance and service delivery issues. 5. Incentivise greater collaboration between governance and sector programmes. 6. Incentivise greater attention to gender, and to social inclusion beyond disability issues, in governance programming. To FCDO: 7. Empower and resource FCDO teams to enable TWP programmes, ensuring decision-making by country teams to respond to local priorities. 8. Re-imagine TWP for FCDO Nigeria, giving implementers the space to operate in TWP ways. 9. Incentivise stronger collaboration between PERL, Lafiya (health programme) and the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigerian Education. 10. Invest in impact data analysis. To partner governments in Nigeria and beyond: 11. Explicitly set out the objectives for which you would like to receive assistance. 12. Use TWP principles to decide how development partners can support your political objectives and the scope for politically-feasible and mutually-beneficial collaboration. 13. Invest in the coordination of development partners. To non-state partners in Nigeria and beyond: 14. Join coalitions to achieve your priorities. 15. Select development partners which can strengthen your skills, not just fund your activities. CY - London DA - 2021/10// PY - 2021 DP - Zotero SP - 113 LA - en PB - ODI ER - TY - BLOG TI - Lessons for PFM Reform - the PDIA Approach in Africa AU - Bento, Joana T2 - Public Financial Management Blog - IMF AB - Some important lessons are as follows: First, identifying a policy problem is critical for reforms to get traction both at a political and administrative level. Second, appropriate solutions can emerge from a process of experimentation, iteration, and adaptation. Third, building teams and institutional capabilities is a critical part of solving complex problems in a sustainable way. DA - 2021/09/27/ PY - 2021 UR - https://blog-pfm.imf.org/pfmblog/2021/09/-lessons-for-pfm-reform-the-pdia-approach-in-africa-.html Y2 - 2022/07/01/10:52:37 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Finding and using causal hotspots: a practice in the making AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Snijder, Mieke T2 - Institute of Development Studies AB - This is the second blog in our series ‘Lessons on using Contribution Analysis for impact evaluation’. In our first blog, we introduced Contribution Analysis (CA) as an overarching approach to theory-based evaluation and the idea of causal hotpots as a way to zoom in, unpack and make the hard choices of where to focus evaluation research. Identifying specific links in the theory of change (ToC) with specific evaluation questions enables you to then choose appropriate methods. We have applied the approach in diverse settings, testing how robust Contribution Analysis can really be. Here we walk you through an example. DA - 2021/09/15/ PY - 2021 LA - en-US UR - https://www.ids.ac.uk/opinions/finding-and-using-causal-hotspots-a-practice-in-the-making/ Y2 - 2024/02/13/00:00:00 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Exploring a new governance agenda: What are the questions that matter? AU - Nixon, Nicola AU - Verhulst, Stefaan AU - Matin, Imran AU - Vermonte, Philips J. T2 - From Poverty to Power AB - The 100 Questions Initiative, pioneered by the GovLab, seeks to overcome the chasm between supply and demand. It begins not by searching for what data is available, but by asking important questions about the biggest challenges societies and countries face, and then seeking more targeted and relevant data solutions. In doing this, it narrows the gap between policy makers and constituents, providing opportunities for improved evidence-based policy and community engagement in developing countries. As part of this initiative, we seek to define the ten most important questions across several domains, including Migration, Gender, Employment, the Future of Work, and—now–Governance. On this occasion, we invited over 100 experts and practitioners in governance and data science –whom we call “bilinguals”– from various organizations, companies, and government agencies to identify what they see as the most pressing governance questions in their respective domains. Over 100 bilinguals were encouraged to prioritize potential impact, novelty, and feasibility in their questioning — moving toward a roadmap for data-driven action and collaboration that is both actionable and ambitious. DA - 2021/09/15/ PY - 2021 UR - https://oxfamapps.org/fp2p/exploring-a-new-governance-agenda-what-are-the-questions-that-matter/ Y2 - 2021/11/09/14:05:22 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Learning through and about Contribution Analysis for impact evaluation AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Ton, Giel T2 - Institute of Development Studies AB - Over the past five years, colleagues from the Centre for Development Impact (CDI) – a joint initiative between the Institute of Development Studies, Itad and University of East Anglia – have been innovating with and learning how to use Contribution Analysis as an overarching approach to impact evaluation. In this blog series, we share our learning and insights, some of them in raw emergent form, highlight the complexities, nuances, excitements, and challenges of embracing new ways of doing impact evaluation. We begin this series by sharing ideas about ‘causal hotspots’ that first surfaced as ‘aha’ moments in our collaboration on the CDI short course Contribution Analysis for Impact Evaluation – the moments when we found the ways and words to better articulate our ideas and help people navigate the messy realities of theory-based evaluation. DA - 2021/09/10/ PY - 2021 LA - en-US UR - https://www.ids.ac.uk/opinions/learning-through-and-about-contribution-analysis-for-impact-evaluation/ Y2 - 2024/02/13/00:00:00 ER - TY - CHAP TI - Development Policy and Impact Evaluation: Learning and Accountability in Private Sector Development AU - Ton, Giel T2 - Handbook of Development Policy AB - There is broad recognition of the challenges in evaluating policy and programmes on their contribution to sustainable development. Impact evaluations of PSD programmes are carried out at the behest of a particular configuration of interest groups with different expectations. Some groups want to know whether a programme has worked, others want to know how to do these programmes better, others fear that PSD programmes might result in sub-optimal or adverse development outcomes in recipient countries, and some want to be sure that the programme benefits the private sector in the donors' domestic economies. This chapter discusses these with reference to private sector development programmes and explores how contribution analysis, which is a structured stepwise process of theory-based evaluation, can address these challenges and generate findings to improve learning and accountability. DA - 2021/09/07/ PY - 2021 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Edward Elgar Publishing Limited SN - 978-1-83910-086-4 ST - Development Policy and Impact Evaluation UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/16926 Y2 - 2021/12/17/14:51:52 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Lost Causal: Debunking Myths About Causal Analysis in Philanthropy AU - Lynn, Jewlya AU - Stachowiak, Sarah AU - Coffman, Julia T2 - The Foundation Review DA - 2021/09/01/ PY - 2021 DO - 10.9707/1944-5660.1576 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) VL - 13 IS - 3 J2 - The Foundation Review LA - en SN - 1944-5660 ST - Lost Causal UR - https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/tfr/vol13/iss3/6 Y2 - 2023/01/27/15:23:12 ER - TY - BLOG TI - In praise of... Logframes AU - Teskey, Graham T2 - From Poverty to Power AB - In all the jobs I have held, the only training that has ever stayed with me was a three-day course on logframes, held in a very pleasant beach hotel on Fiji’s beautiful coral coast. This was a few months after I joined what was then the Overseas Development Administration, DFID’s forerunner. Three days on logframes. Yes really. Our Pacific team were gathered together to learn this new skill. The course was designed not only to help us think rigorously about how change happens, but also to ensure that we had a shared understanding of what constitutes good design. Twenty-five years later I am aware that logframes are out of fashion: references to the ‘tyranny of the logframe’ abound, its vertical determinism, and its lack of flexibility. Donors seem to have replaced logframes with things called ‘Program Logics’, as in the schematic below. You don’t have to be able to read it to get the picture… (and it’s logframes that are supposed to be too vertical…?). DA - 2021/08/05/ PY - 2021 UR - https://oxfamapps.org/fp2p/in-praise-of-logframes/ Y2 - 2021/08/05/21:17:01 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Supply Chains, the Informal Economy, and the Worst Forms of Child Labour AU - Aked, Jody T2 - CLARISSA Working Paper AB - As a cohort of people, ‘children in work’ have become critical to the everyday functioning of diverse supply chain systems. This Working Paper considers diverse commodity chains (leather, waste, recycling and sex) to explore the business realities that generate child labour in its worst forms. A review of the literature finds that occurrence of the worst forms of child labour (WFCL) in supply chain systems is contingent on the organising logics and strategies adopted by actors in both the formal and informal economies. Piecing together the available evidence, the paper hypothesises that a supply chain system is sensitive to the use of WFCL when downward pressure to take on business risk cannot be matched by the economic resilience to absorb that risk. Emergencies and persistent stressors may increase risk and reduce resilience, shifting norms and behaviour. There is a need for further work to learn from business owners and workers in the informal economy. CY - Brighton DA - 2021/07/26/ PY - 2021 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Institute of Development Studies SN - 8 UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/16755 Y2 - 2023/10/12/14:13:45 ER - TY - RPRT TI - How Does Participatory Action Research Generate Innovation? Findings from a Rapid Realist Review AU - Snijder, Mieke AU - Apgar, J. Marina T2 - CLARISSA Emerging Evidence Report AB - This Emerging Evidence Report shares evidence of how, for whom, and under what circumstances, Participatory Action Research (PAR) leads to innovative actions. A rapid realist review was undertaken to develop programme theories that explain how PAR generates innovation. The methodology included peer-reviewed and grey literature and moments of engagement with programme staff, such that their input supported the development and refinement of three resulting initial programme theories (IPTs) that we present in this report. Across all three IPTs, safe relational space, group facilitation, and the abilities of facilitators, are essential context and intervention components through which PAR can generate innovation. Implications from the three IPTs for evaluation design of the CLARISSA programme are identified and discussed. The report finishes with opportunities for the CLARISSA programme to start building an evidence base of how PAR works as an intervention modality, such as evidencing group-level conscientisation, the influence of intersecting inequalities, and influence of diverse perspectives coming together in a PAR process. CY - Brighton DA - 2021/07/23/ PY - 2021 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Institute of Development Studies SN - 6 ST - How Does Participatory Action Research Generate Innovation? UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/16754 Y2 - 2024/02/22/11:16:40 ER - TY - BLOG TI - What can Australia learn from the public service revolution taking hold in Europe? AU - Hurcombe, Sarah T2 - Centre For Public Impact (CPI) AB - Sarah Hurcombe shares what she's learning from the public service revolution building momentum in Europe. DA - 2021/07/21/ PY - 2021 UR - https://www.centreforpublicimpact.org/insights/what-can-australia-learn-from-the-public-service-revolution-taking-hold-in-europe Y2 - 2022/08/02/13:51:48 ER - TY - BLOG TI - We created this MEL system for you, now please own it! | From Poverty to Power AU - Pasanen, Tiina AU - Yanguas, Pablo AB - External consultants, learning partners or critical friends -whatever we call them- can seldom change the system or organisational (learning) culture from outside. So, how can Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL) consultants support real change instead of creating tools or processes that are quickly forgotten without any real institutional ownership? Consultants and learning partners can seldom change a learning system or organisational culture – it just does not work like that. What they can do is interrogate existing practices, introduce new ideas, and support change processes already underway to ensure lasting, transformative impact. They are a multiplier for homegrown change initiatives, not a substitute. Don’t hire MEL consultants to sell you tools or tell you what to do. Hire them because you need a critical friend along the path of organisational change. Own, then learn – not the other way round. DA - 2021/07/14/ PY - 2021 UR - https://frompoverty.oxfam.org.uk/we-created-this-mel-system-for-you-now-please-own-it/ Y2 - 2023/12/14/21:36:17 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Designing a Participatory Programme at Scale: Phases 1 and 2 of the CLARISSA Programme on Worst Forms of Child Labour AU - Burns, Danny AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Raw, Anna T2 - CLARISSA Working Paper AB - CLARISSA (Child Labour: Action-Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia) is a large-scale Participatory Action Research programme which aims to identify, evidence, and promote effective multi-stakeholder action to tackle the drivers of the worst forms of child labour in selected supply chains in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar. CLARISSA places a particular focus on participants’ own ‘agency’. In other words, participants’ ability to understand the situation they face, and to develop and take actions in response to them. Most of CLARISSA’s participants are children. This document shares the design and overarching methodology of the CLARISSA programme, which was co-developed with all consortium partners during and since the co-generation phase of the programme (September 2018–June 2020). The immediate audience is the CLARISSA programme implementation teams, plus the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). This design document is also a useful reference point for other programmes trying to build large-scale participatory processes. It provides a clear overview of the CLARISSA programmatic approach, the design, and how it is being operationalised in context. CY - Brighton DA - 2021/07/08/ PY - 2021 LA - en PB - Institute of Development Studies SN - 7 ST - Designing a Participatory Programme at Scale UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/16730 Y2 - 2023/01/10/14:52:40 ER - TY - RPRT TI - FCDO Programme Operating Framework AU - FCDO AB - The Programme Operating Framework (PrOF) sets the standard for how the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) delivers its programmes and projects. CY - London DA - 2021/06/30/ PY - 2021 LA - en PB - FCDO UR - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-programme-operating-framework Y2 - 2024/02/22/20:14:04 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Impact networks: measuring towards success AU - Small Foundation T2 - Small Foundation AB - How does Small Foundation think about the impact… DA - 2021/06/29/T08:18:53+00:00 PY - 2021 ST - Impact networks UR - https://smallfoundation.ie/impact-networks-measuring-towards-success/ Y2 - 2022/06/17/11:36:45 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Complexity-Aware Monitoring and Evaluation AU - Hertz, Tilman AU - Brattander, Eva AU - Rose, Loretta T2 - Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation AB - Background: Addressing today’s sustainability challenges requires adopting a systemic approach where social and ecological systems are treated as integrated social-ecological systems. Such systems are complex, and the international development sector increasingly recognises the need to account for the complexity of the systems that they seek to transform. Purpose: This paper sketches out the elements of a complexity-aware monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system for international development programmes in the area of sustainable development.  Setting: Not applicable. Data Collection and Analysis: The authors draw on existing literature on complexity and evaluation and on their own experience from working in the field of M&E. Findings: An M&E system should not be seen simply as a tool to track compliance against a pre-determined theory of change. Instead, it is most useful as a real-time approach, constantly defining and re-defining narratives for change that help push systems along trajectories of interest. Dealing with complexity involves embracing uncertainty; and this challenges established notions of accountability—something which funders and implementers must begin to redefine together. Keywords: monitoring; evaluation; complexity; social-ecological systems; international development programmes; narratives for change; theory of change DA - 2021/06/21/ PY - 2021 DO - 10.56645/jmde.v17i41.679 DP - journals.sfu.ca VL - 17 IS - 41 SP - 35 EP - 50 LA - en SN - 1556-8180 UR - https://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/679 Y2 - 2023/08/06/19:18:08 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Energy Governance in Developing Countries — A New Approach AU - Mcculloch, Neil AB - In 2015, leaders from around the world agreed to 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030. The seventh goal (SDG7) is: “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.” In the same year, the world’s leaders concluded the Paris Agreement to tackle climate change, which will require a global transition in the energy sector away from the use of fossil fuels. Yet, despite growing investments in clean energy in many developing countries, the transition is happening much more slowly than needed. The central reason for this is poor energy governance. This technical brief shows how poor energy governance damages energy access and efforts to improve the quality and reliability of power. It explains the political reasons why energy governance is so bad in many countries and contrasts this with the current system of procuring technical assistance, which largely ignores the energy governance challenge. It shows that a new approach to tackling energy governance is emerging that is better matched to the nature of the problems faced and provides recommendations on how to implement it. CY - London DA - 2021/06// PY - 2021 DP - Zotero SP - 9 LA - en M3 - Briefing PB - The Policy Practice & Chemonics ER - TY - RPRT TI - Why Tackling Energy Governance in Developing Countries Needs a Different Approach AU - McCulloch, Neil AB - Global efforts to improve energy access and quality and to tackle climate change need a different approach to addressing poor energy governance. In 2015, leaders from around the world agreed to 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by 2030.1 The seventh goal (SDG7) is “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.” In the same year, the world’s leaders concluded the Paris Agreement to tackle climate change, which will require a global transition of the energy sector away from the use of fossil fuels. Yet, in many developing countries, despite growing investments in clean energy, the transition is happening much more slowly than needed to achieve SDG7 and avert damaging climate change. The central reason for this is poor energy governance. This paper outlines the size and nature of the energy challenge, with a focus on electricity. It describes the investments that are currently being made to improve the quality of power and access to electricity — and the growing evidence that investments often fail due to poor energy governance. The paper then delves more deeply into how bad governance influences the quality of and access to electricity, with specific country examples. It shows the importance of understanding how electricity fits into the political settlement of a country and how this affects the incentives of key actors in the sector. Unfortunately, donor projects designed to widen electricity access or to support reform of the power sector in developing countries often pay too little attention to the problem’s political nature; the same is true of measures to improve energy efficiency or to promote renewables. The paper outlines a new way of thinking about energy governance and shows how interventions can be better matched to the different governance challenges that they face. It concludes with recommendations for donors on how energy programs can be better designed and procured — as well as recommendations for implementors on how to improve the chances of successful implementation by adapting to the political realities of the contexts in which they operate. CY - London DA - 2021/06// PY - 2021 DP - Zotero SP - 30 LA - en PB - The Policy Practice & Chemonics ER - TY - RPRT TI - Learning to adapt & adapting to learn - Using elements of outcome mapping in the ‘Resilient Adolescents in the Syria Crisis’ programme AU - van Ongevalle, Jan AU - Kvintradze, Ana AU - Rennesson, Gaël AU - Miller, David AB - This learning paper highlights how elements of outcome mapping were used by Save the Children Sweden in a project (2018-2020) that supports adolescents, affected by the Syria crisis, to become more resilient. The paper first outlines how the spheres of influence framework has been applied to develop an actor focused theory of change. It then describes how progress markers, as an alternative to SMART indicators, were formulated to monitor the programme’s results. The paper also outlines how long lists of progress markers were categorised in a more realistic and practical results framework. The paper then continues to elaborate how outcome journals, qualitative data analysis techniques and regular review meetings and reflection workshops were utilised for data collection, for collective learning among programme stakeholders and for informing planning and programme adjustment. Various practical guidelines and tips on how to implement elements of outcome mapping are provided. The final part of the paper explores to what extent outcome mapping was able to foster several key enablers of adaptive programme management and highlights some of the challenges that programme stakeholders faced. Practical recommendations towards the use of outcome mapping in future programmes are also proposed. DA - 2021/06// PY - 2021 PB - Save the Children UR - https://www.outcomemapping.ca/download/Outcome%20Mapping%20Learning%20Paper_SAP_02062021.pdf Y2 - 2022/09/30/08:38:35 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Non-Violent Communication in everyday life AU - Aktar, Afrin AU - Goon, Swmaranika AU - Pal, Ujjal AU - Zaman, Thahina T2 - CLARISSA AB - In March, members of the team in Bangladesh (Community Mobilisers and Lead Community Mobilisers) participated in a training course in non-violent communication (NVC). NVC is a communication technique that prioritises listening over speaking. It aims to improve communication by achieving a deeper understanding of our emotions and values and what we observe in the behaviour of others. The training was facilitated by Paul Kahawatte, a UK-based mediator, facilitator and trainer, Roufun Naher, a lecturer at the University of Dhaka and NVC practitioner in Bangladesh, Neil Howard, co-lead of Social Protection for CLARISSA and Jiniya Afroze, CLARISSA Country Coordinator in Bangladesh. The aim of the training was to support the community mobilisers to explore and practice different ways of communicating and facilitating. This will help them support communities to come together and build their collective power for the social protection ‘cash plus’ pilot. Lemon Roy, a community mobiliser was grateful for the experience; “I had little knowledge about Non-Violent Communication before participating in the training. I didn’t know that passive listening and the communication gap between two people could lead to conflict. I have learned about tools and techniques in conflict mediation and the importance of understanding the feelings and needs of other people.”. DA - 2021/05/27/T10:23:00+00:00 PY - 2021 LA - en-US UR - https://clarissa.global/non-violent-communication-in-everyday-life/ Y2 - 2024/02/19/13:01:59 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Applying Systems Thinking to Education: The RISE Systems Framework AU - Spivack, Marla AB - Many education systems in low- and middle-income countries are experiencing a learning crisis. Many efforts to address this crisis do not account for the system features of education, meaning that they fail to consider the ways that interactions and feedback loops produce outcomes. Thinking through the feedback relationships that produce the education system can be challenging. The RISE Education Systems Framework, which is sufficiently structured to give boundaries to the analysis but sufficiently flexible to be adapted to multiple scenarios, can be helpful. The RISE Framework identifies four key relationships in an education system: politics, compact, management, and voice and choice; and five features that can be used to describe these relationships: delegation, finance, information, support, and motivation. This Framework can be a useful approach for characterising the key actors and interactions in the education system, thinking through how these interactions produce systems outcomes, and identifying ways to intervene that can shift the system towards better outcomes. DA - 2021/05/26/ PY - 2021 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) LA - en PB - Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE) ST - Applying Systems Thinking to Education UR - https://riseprogramme.org/publications/applying-systems-thinking-education-rise-systems-framework Y2 - 2021/12/16/15:08:08 ER - TY - BLOG TI - We have experimented with different approaches to systems transformation — here are five insights AU - Haldrup, Søren Vester T2 - UNDP Innovation AB - At UNDP Innovation we are on a journey to shift our approach to innovation to help tackle complex development challenges. In short, we are moving away from single point solutions, and instead we are… DA - 2021/05/17/T15:00:09.927Z PY - 2021 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/@undp.innovation/we-have-experimented-with-different-approaches-to-systems-transformation-here-are-five-insights-ae545a2339b1 Y2 - 2021/11/09/13:41:24 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Impact Evidence and Beyond: Using Evidence to Drive Adoption of Humanitarian Innovations AU - Dodgson, Kate AU - Crowley, Catie T2 - Scaling series AB - This learning paper provides guidance to humanitarian innovators on how to use evidence to enable and drive adoption of innovation. Innovation literature and practice show time and time again that it is difficult to scale innovations. Even when an innovation is demonstrably impactful, better than the existing solution and good value for money, it does not automatically get adopted or used in mainstream humanitarian programming. Why do evidence-based innovations face difficulties in scaling and how can innovators best position their innovation to scale? This learning paper is for innovators who want to effectively use evidence to support and enable their journey to scale. It explores the underlying social, organisational and behavioural factors that stifle uptake of innovations. It also provides guidance on how to use, prioritise and communicate evidence to overcome these barriers. The paper aims to help innovators generate and present their evidence in more tailored and nuanced ways to improve adoption and scaling of their innovations. CY - London DA - 2021/05/07/ PY - 2021 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - Elrha UR - https://www.elrha.org/researchdatabase/impact-evidence-and-beyond-using-evidence-to-drive-adoption-of-humanitarian-innovations-scaling-series/ Y2 - 2021/10/28/00:00:00 ER - TY - BOOK TI - PDIA in action A3 - Andrews, Matt A3 - Samji, Salimah AB - Learning from our experience in 2020, we asked the alumni of our HKS Implementing Public Policy (IPP) Executive Education program, if they wanted to work with our students on their nominated problems. Eight IPP alumni, William Keith Young, Adaeze Oreh, Milzy Carrasco, Kevin Schilling, Artem Shaipov, George Imbenzi, David Wuyep, and Raphael Kenigsberg, who had been trained on PDIA and implementation, signed up to work with our students. Thirty-seven students signed up to take the course beginning January 26th, 2021. The students worked across eight teams and adopted a problem driven approach to foster learning that could help their authorizers develop an action learning strategy to their nominated challenge. This book highlights the students’ work drawing from their blogs as well as the event series. There are 8 sections, one for each of the teams and the problems they worked on during the course. We hope you enjoy reading their stories! Scan the QR Code at the end of each section to learn more. CY - Cambridge, MA DA - 2021/05// PY - 2021 PB - Center for International Development, Harvard University UR - https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/files/bsc/files/pdia_book_square_final.pdf Y2 - 2021/12/16/15:12:08 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Understanding Strategic Capacity in Constituency-Based Organizations AU - Jane Booth-Tobin AU - Kal Munis AU - Lynsy Smithson-Stanley AU - Hahrie Han AB - Movement organizations work in inherently uncertain political environments. Whether an organization is advocating for a new minimum wage, working to close a private prison, or seeking to influence an election, the terrain they are operating on shifts nearly every day. That is increasingly true as political uncertainty rises in the 21st century, particularly for historically race-class subjugated communities. Any movement-based organization seeking to build, exercise, and win political power must have sophisticated strategic capacities to be able to navigate these uncertain, dynamic, and constantly shifting political environments. Yet, our knowledge of how movements can nurture the kind of strategic capacities that allows them to build constituencies and leadership that can operate in the flexible ways needed for these dynamic circumstances is limited. This report seeks to synthesize what is currently known about organizations that successfully build and wield strategic capacity, with a particular eye toward how it might apply to constituency-based organizations. The report concludes with an assessment and facilitated conversation guide to support movements and movement organizations in understanding how developed (or not) their strategic capacities are. CY - Baltimore DA - 2021/05// PY - 2021 PB - The P3 Lab, Johns Hopkins University UR - https://www.p3researchlab.org/strategic_capacity_blog Y2 - 2021/12/15/14:17:13 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Let’s Take the Con Out of Randomized Control Trials in Development AU - Pritchett, Lant T2 - CID Faculty Working Paper AB - The enthusiasm for the potential of RCTs in development rests in part on the assumption that the use of the rigorous evidence that emerges from an RCT (or from a small set of studies identified as rigorous in a “systematic” review) leads to the adoption of more effective policies, programs or projects. However, the supposed benefits of using rigorous evidence for “evidence based” policy making depend critically on the extent to which there is external validity. If estimates of causal impact or treatment effects that have internal validity (are unbiased) in one context (where the relevant “context” could be country, region, implementing organization, complementary policies, initial conditions, etc.) cannot be applied to another context then applying evidence that is rigorous in one context may actually reduce predictive accuracy in other contexts relative to simple evidence from that context—even if that evidence is biased (Pritchett and Sandefur 2015). Using empirical estimates from a large number of developing countries of the difference in student learning in public and private schools (just as one potential policy application) I show that commonly made assumptions about external validity are, in the face of the actual observed heterogeneity across contexts, both logically incoherent and empirically unhelpful. Logically incoherent, in that it is impossible to reconcile general claims about external validity of rigorous estimates of causal impact and the heterogeneity of the raw facts about differentials. Empirically unhelpful in that using a single (or small set) of rigorous estimates to apply to all other actually leads to a larger root mean square error of prediction of the “true” causal impact across contexts than just using the estimates from non-experimental data from each country. In the data about private and public schools, under plausible assumptions, an exclusive reliance on the rigorous evidence has RMSE three times worse than using the biased OLS result from each context. In making policy decisions one needs to rely on an understanding of the relevant phenomena that encompasses all of the available evidence. CY - Boston DA - 2021/05// PY - 2021 DP - Zotero SP - 40 LA - en PB - Center for International Development, Harvard University SN - 399 UR - https://bsc.cid.harvard.edu/files/bsc/files/2021-05-cid-wp-399-external-validity.pdf Y2 - 2021/06/25/00:00:00 ER - TY - VIDEO TI - 20 years of Outcome Mapping AU - OM Learning Community AB - Celebrate 20 years of Outcome Mapping with the OMLC Stewards plus special guests in this 90 minute webinar. - Exclusive celebration video with Outcome Blues soundtrack - Fireside chat with the authors of the OM manual, Sarah Earl, Fred Carden & Terry Smutylo, to hear their views on OM’s evolution since the 2001 publication - Launch of our new paper presenting core concepts of OM and guiding practices for transformative change, with special guests Sonal Zaveri & Julius Nyangaga as discussants DA - 2021/04/29/ PY - 2021 UR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf01oIUKtZE Y2 - 2018/10/18/00:00:00 ER - TY - BLOG TI - How to do Adaptive Management in 15 easy steps – from a top new toolkit – FP2P AU - Green, Duncan T2 - From Poverty to Power DA - 2021/04/21/ PY - 2021 UR - https://oxfamapps.org/fp2p/how-to-do-adaptive-management-in-15-easy-steps-from-a-top-new-toolkit/ Y2 - 2021/08/09/14:33:28 ER - TY - BLOG TI - A top Toolkit on Adaptive Management. But is that a good idea? – FP2P AU - Green, Duncan T2 - From Poverty to Power DA - 2021/04/20/ PY - 2021 UR - https://oxfamapps.org/fp2p/a-top-toolkit-on-adaptive-management-but-is-that-a-good-idea/ Y2 - 2021/08/09/14:33:22 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Building a Movement of Public Problem Solvers - Building State Capability AU - Samji, Salimah T2 - Building State Capability AB - Solving public problems is a hard and thankless job. One that is undertaken with a shortage of time as well as resources, and often under pressure to deliver results. A common approach used to solve public problems is to develop a plan, sometimes with experts, and then to assume that implementation will happen on autopilot. To quote Mike Tyson, “Everyone has a plan ’till they get punched in the mouth.” The question is, what do you do after you get punched? Continue with your existing plan? Or do you learn from the punch? DA - 2021/04/19/T01:05:29+00:00 PY - 2021 LA - en-US UR - https://buildingstatecapability.com/2021/04/18/building-a-movement-of-public-problem-solvers/ Y2 - 2022/07/15/08:38:33 ER - TY - VIDEO TI - How to make a multilayer pie chart in Excel AU - Karina Adcock AB - Create a multilevel donut chart in excel -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #exceltips #exceltutorials #excelcharts SUBSCRIBE: https://goo.gl/c46YPs Microsoft Office 365, Beta Channel, Version 2104 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IF YOU LIKED THIS VIDEO YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: - Recreating a pie chart from a newspaper in PowerPoint    • How to make a pie... DA - 2021/04/14/ PY - 2021 DP - YouTube UR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaAGX3MiU6c Y2 - 2023/04/27/13:59:13 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Bringing children into the life story collection process AU - Shrestha, Kapil T2 - CLARISSA AB - The CLARISSA Social Protection (SP) intervention provided six months of unconditional cash transfers to every household in the Gojmohol neighbourhood,... DA - 2021/04/09/ PY - 2021 LA - en-US UR - https://clarissa.global/bringing-children-into-the-life-story-collection-process/ Y2 - 2024/02/16/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Implementing adaptive management: A front-line effort — Is there an emerging practice? AU - Teskey, Graham AU - Tyrrel, Lavinia T2 - Working Paper AB - Among the many principles that currently inform donor-funded development initiatives, three appear to stand out: they should be politically informed, locally led, and adaptive. There is as yet little practical guidance for aid implementers regarding how to operationalise these approaches. What will it take to shift practice away from linear and planned approaches, towards models which foster local leadership and which engage with emergent and complex systems? This paper suggests that the answer is not to throw out the discipline of the logical framework, results frameworks, or theories of change. Rather they need to be handled rather more reflectively and ‘elastically’. The purpose of this paper is to set out how this can be achieved, and to propose 15 tools for donors, implementors and front-line staff to apply adaptive management (AM) in practice, at critical stages of the project cycle and within the dominant aid paradigm. This is what we are calling PILLAR: politically informed, locally led and adaptive responses. We are framing PILLAR to cover the full project cycle (design, implementation and review), hence the nomenclature of an ‘end to end’ approach. Our hope is that these tools will eventually replace the current planned, log-frame driven and top-down approach to aid design and delivery which dominates the development sector. CY - Canberra DA - 2021/04// PY - 2021 PB - Abt Associates UR - https://abtassocgovernancesoapbox.files.wordpress.com/2021/04/abt-associates_adaptive-management_a-frontline-effort_digital-1.pdf Y2 - 2024/02/12/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Lessons learned from PERL and partners' response to the COVID-19 crisis AU - Sharp, Samuel AU - Nwachukwu, Tochukwu AU - Srivatsa, Sripriya Iyengar AB - The first case of COVID-19 in Nigeria was confirmed on 27 February 2020, with the first lockdown orders issued on 30 March 2020. The pandemic and resultant containment measures have had farreaching socio-cultural, economic, financial and political implications, globally as well as in Nigeria. For the Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL) and its partners, the pandemic has required considerable adaptation of their strategic approach and working practices. This report reflects on how COVID-19 changed the operating context for PERL’s partners, how PERL responded and what lessons have been learned across delivery teams. For government partners, the most substantial impacts have been to budgets, struck by falling oil prices and reduced economic activity. Universally, states have had to adjust budgets and reforecast, revising budgets downwards and shifting the focus of expenditure towards healthcare. The World Bank’s State Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) Programme has generated powerful incentives for this budget revision, which PERL has been able to work alongside. A range of new governance structures – such as public response committees and task forces – have been established to deal with various aspects of COVID-19 policy, and PERL has had to grapple to maintain its ongoing engagement with these. For civil society organisations (CSOs), the closure of offices from 30 March 2020 has changed the nature of engagement with government. CSOs often developed innovative approaches to maintaining access, including use of social media and direct calls. But the shift to virtual working has been challenging for many CSOs, both in terms of covering the costs of data for virtual meetings and the risks of disengagement and marginalisation for some organisations. In response to this changed context, from March 2020 PERL began to restrategise. The flexible nature of the programme’s workplans, progress markers and budgets enabled activities to be adjusted in a relatively timely manner, with a new workplan approved by the end of April 2020. Central PERL management developed a COVID-19 response strategy which provided a broad framework for adaptations, but allowed substantial autonomy to state and regional teams to lead on reprioritisation according to their understanding of the local context. This was valued by both management and delivery staff. Challenges manifested themselves more in effectively delivering on these adapted workplans than in the process of restrategising – due to two rounds of budget cuts, the merger of DFID and the FCO to form the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the difficulties of engaging partners virtually. Overall, the pandemic undoubtedly delayed activities (by roughly three months for deprioritised areas of work), but resulted in an array of new, tailored interventions under its broad categories of work. Interventions relating to the health sector became more prevalent, as did work supporting budget adjustments. Domestic resource mobilisation and education interventions were often adjusted to be more relevant to the COVID context or experienced delay. The report provides short illustrative case studies of PERL’s adaptations to: support budget revisions; work with media partners on COVID-19 sensitisation; tracking and advocacy for palliative distribution; and support for the introduction of tax relief. There is some evidence, albeit partial, that PERL was able to take advantage of windows of opportunity offered by the pandemic to drive ahead with certain ongoing reform initiatives. DA - 2021/03/30/ PY - 2021 DP - Zotero SP - 39 LA - en PB - PERL Programme ER - TY - BLOG TI - 'Development': A visual story of shifting power AU - Faciolince, Maria AU - Obando, Hansel T2 - From Poverty to Power AB - The work of shifting power is fundamentally the work of changing our gaze. People act on how they see, and to change how we see, is to radically change how we act. By not exploring other forms of expressing, looking and creating, we’re limiting ourselves.  The development space is fixated on the written word. ... This exhibit, called “‘Development’: a visual story of shifting power”, tells the story of ‘development’, from its origin to its current challenge, from its contradictions to its possible horizons. Our guiding principles were the twin notions of decolonization and intersectionality: moving away from the unequal power structures that reinforce legacies of colonialism, and advancing explicitly anti-racist and feminist agendas. DA - 2021/03/23/T06:00:33+00:00 PY - 2021 LA - en-GB ST - 'Development' UR - https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/development-a-visual-story-of-shifting-power/ Y2 - 2021/03/23/09:43:22 ER - TY - RPRT TI - A Guide to Assessing the Political Economy of Domestic Climate Change Governance AU - Worker, Jesse AU - Palmer, Niki AB - This paper discusses how understanding the domestic political economy of climate governance is critical for developing informed strategies to build and sustain political ambition. It provides guidance and a methodology for domestic stakeholders to determine the types of institutional reforms, incentives, coalitions, and policy design that can entrench long-term political support for climate ambition. The assessment can also help users identify political barriers to more equitable climate action and identify reforms that may strengthen inclusion and accountability. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Highlights ▪ There is overwhelming evidence of the social, economic, and environmental case to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and rapidly scale up adaptation. Yet, despite a proliferation of climate laws and policies over the last 10–15 years, emissions are still rising, and adaptation needs remain urgent. ▪ This calls for a more sophisticated assessment of the political economy factors that may enable or constrain implementation of policies and actions and sustain political commitment at the country level. ▪ This guide offers an assessment methodology to understand how structural factors, rules and norms, stakeholders and interests, and ideas and narratives influence the political economy of climate action in a given country context. ▪ The methodology was developed on the basis of climate policy, governance, and political economy literature with contributions from subject matter experts. ▪ We intend the assessment to support civil society coalitions, reform-minded civil servants and politicians, international organizations, and other stakeholders. ▪ The resulting analysis should deepen the understanding of context while informing the advocacy, policy design, coalition building, capacity building, and communications of domestic stakeholders. CY - Washington DC DA - 2021/03/23/ PY - 2021 DP - www.wri.org LA - en M3 - Working Paper PB - World Resources Institute UR - https://www.wri.org/publication/guide-assessing-political-economy-domestic-climate-change-governance Y2 - 2021/03/23/15:11:21 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Theory-Based Approaches to Evaluation: Concepts and Practices AU - Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat AB - This document introduces some of the key concepts of theory-based approaches to evaluation. It is hoped that readers will be encouraged by the information and advice provided in this document and will explore the use (e.g., through pilot evaluations) of theory-based approaches to evaluation in a federal setting. To support this, Sections 1.0 to 8.0 of the document describe the general application of theory-based approaches to evaluation, and Sections 9.0 and 10.0 discuss the potential application of theory-based approaches to a range of federal programs. This document is neither an exhaustive training program in theory-based evaluation nor a step-by-step guide to undertaking a theory-based evaluation. Evaluators who wish to integrate theory-based approaches into their practices are encouraged to pursue additional readings (including those referenced in this document) and, as appropriate, to seek additional support in undertaking a theory-based evaluation. DA - 2021/03/22/ PY - 2021 LA - eng PB - Government of Canada ST - Theory-Based Approaches to Evaluation UR - https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/services/audit-evaluation/evaluation-government-canada/theory-based-approaches-evaluation-concepts-practices.html Y2 - 2022/01/27/22:06:47 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Critical System Heuristics : a very, very short introduction AU - van 't Hof, Sjon T2 - CSL4D/SystemicAgency DA - 2021/03/12/ PY - 2021 UR - https://csl4d.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/critical-system-heuristics-a-very-very-short-introduction/ Y2 - 2018/10/13/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - The Future of Development: “Make Happen” with Portfolios of Options AU - CHÔRA Foundation AB - This Green Paper intends to review key elements of the problem that Development actors will confront as a new decade opens up ahead of us. It will articulate a solution that we believe should become an inherent feature of Development programs and initiatives. This is the outcome of an intense period of experiences and reflections in the Development space across different geographies and institutional mandates and activities, during which the Foundation has collaborated with institutions such as the UNDP and Grand Challenges Canada. At the heart of our collaborations is a Strategic Innovation and System Transformation Framework, with its associated concepts, working definitions, processes, tools and people. Sourced from CHÔRA Foundation’s knowledge and practice assets, this is a capability we intend to make relevant, customise, scale up and distribute to our partners and stakeholders. We are looking to create with them a space that offers the world a transformational capability. Central to this capability we see a distinctive and robust practice: the design and dynamic management of Portfolios of Strategic Innovation and System Transformation Options. These Portfolios are unique, context relevant, embedded mechanisms for learning, sensemaking and problem solving that social systems leverage to have an impact on themselves and their problems, and to induce the transformations that are necessary to them. It is our view that Portfolios of Options are the most effective means by which human social systems can supply themselves with budgets of possibility that ensure choice and create opportunity. They will also support pragmatic evolutionary outcomes and enable resilience. CY - Haarlem (Netherlands) DA - 2021/03// PY - 2021 PB - CHÔRA Foundation UR - https://static1.squarespace.com/static/600eb85f87ba7b33ef93a72a/t/604b93ead71c9b5f9e5f382a/1615565806067/Portfolios+of+Options+Green+Paper+upload.pdf Y2 - 2021/11/09/12:22:53 ER - TY - RPRT TI - FCDO Beneficiary Engagement AU - FCDO AB - This guide has been developed to help build confidence and capability, distilling useful tips and considerations that may help teams think through programme delivery issues and interpret elements of the PrOF Rules. This PrOF Guide lays out: - The definition of beneficiary engagement. - The case for beneficiary engagement. - FCDO’s approach to beneficiary engagement. - Practical tips for how to integrate beneficiary engagement throughout the programme cycle, including guiding questions to ask, rules of thumb to apply, tools to use and challenges and special topics to consider during Design, Mobilisation, Delivery and Closure phases. At its core, beneficiary engagement is about processes that recognise the dignity and support the agency of the people whose lives we are trying to improve. It is about beneficiaries and programme constituents having a say over what assistance they receive and how they receive it. It is about engaging beneficiaries and programme constituents as people with valuable insights and capabilities, rather than a compliance exercise. It is about empowering all beneficiaries and programme constituents to improve their lives by engaging them in helping us make better design and delivery decisions for the programmes that affect their lives. It’s about ensuring that a diverse set of voices are heard. Harnessing the power of beneficiary engagement can also improve outcomes and help programmes reach them more efficiently. It helps define and promote Value for Money, improve transparency and ensure that beneficiaries are safe from harm and empowered to speak out wherever harm does occur. Beneficiary engagement is supported by FCDO policy commitments, PrOF Rules, internal guidance and key international commitments. Beneficiary engagement is applicable to, and valuable in, a range of contexts, including humanitarian contexts. Beneficiary engagement requires time and resources, but programmes can help ensure the benefits of engagement outweigh the costs by Doing No Harm, Engaging Early and Closing the Loop. It is ultimately the Programme Responsible Owner’s responsibility to determine what beneficiary engagement is suitable and feasible for a programme. Quality beneficiary engagement is not about applying the one “right” approach but rather thoughtfully considering key questions and applying key principles and proven tools to the programme’s context to achieve a programme that supports the dignity and agency of all beneficiaries as much as possible. CY - London DA - 2021/03// PY - 2021 LA - en-GB PB - FCDO UR - https://www.bond.org.uk/resources/fcdo-beneficiary-engagement/ Y2 - 2023/07/17/11:12:39 ER - TY - RPRT TI - LearnAdapt: a synthesis of our work on adaptive programming with DFID/FCDO (2017–2020) AU - Laws, Ed AU - Pett, Jamie AU - Proud, Emma AU - Rocha Menocal, Alina T2 - Briefing Note AB - Key takeaways. • Development is not linear or straightforward, but rather complex, uncertain and context-specific. This calls for international development actors to work differently, in ways that are based on deliberate experimentation, learning and adaptation, to inform decisions and drive effective development. • Although it might go by different names, adaptive programming has been used in a variety of areas and fields in both the public and private sectors. Development practitioners have much to learn from and contribute to these different approaches and experiences. • Trust and relationship-building across all relevant stakeholders are among the most critical enabling factors for adaptive management. They are essential to give partners the space, autonomy and authority needed to try, test, reflect, iterate and feed back at the frontline of implementation, and to give donors the confidence that decisions are being made on the basis of evidence and learning to improve effectiveness. • There is an urgent need to rethink how accountability requirements, results frameworks, value for money considerations, performance markers, procurement and contracting mechanisms and other processes are understood and applied so that they are better aligned with and can support adaptive management more effectively. • The role of senior managers leading adaptive programmes from the donor side should be to create a space for experimentation and learning. Funders should hold their partners accountable for learning and how it feeds into effective programming, rather than for delivering on predetermined targets. • While formal guidance is important, leadership, champions, institutional incentives, a supportive management culture and appropriate mindsets are essential to encourage adaptive ways of working. • Adaptive management is resource-intensive. It requires skill, commitment, time for building trust and investments in learning. It is a journey, not an immediate destination – so it calls for patience, open-mindedness and a more nuanced approach to risk. CY - London DA - 2021/03// PY - 2021 PB - ODI UR - https://cdn.odi.org/media/documents/learnadapt_summary_note_2021.pdf Y2 - 2021/08/05/22:09:03 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Value for money and adaptive programming - Approaches, measures and management AU - Laws, Ed AU - Valters, Craig AB - - The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)’s standard economy, efficiency, effectiveness/cost-effectiveness and equity (4E) framework is still relevant for approaching, measuring and managing value for money (VfM) for adaptive programmes. • However, this framework needs to be reframed to capture and incentivise flexibility, learning and adaptation. • VfM appraisal and reporting should be done in a way that draws on beneficiary feedback and informs good decision-making, rather than just being a compliance exercise. • If VfM appraisal and reporting cannot be done appropriately for adaptive programmes, it should be avoided or minimised. There is a risk of diverting time and resources from more suitable tools and methods. CY - London DA - 2021/03// PY - 2021 M3 - Working Paper PB - ODI UR - https://cdn.odi.org/media/documents/odi-ml-rethinkingvfm-wp572-final.pdf Y2 - 2021/06/04/00:00:00 ER - TY - BOOK TI - Applying Evaluation Criteria Thoughtfully AU - OECD AB - Relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability are widely used evaluation criteria, particularly in international development co-operation. They help to determine the merit or worth of various interventions, such as strategies, policies, programmes or projects. This guidance aims to help evaluators and others to better understand those criteria, and improve their use. It starts by describing what they are, and how they are meant to be used. Then the definitions and concepts underpinning each criterion are explained. Finally, examples provide the reader with concrete ideas for using them. The criteria were originally laid out in the early 2000s by the Network on Development Evaluation (EvalNet) of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC). Although they have been widely used in evaluation, and beyond, this document is the first to comprehensively explore the concepts in detail, explain their intended use and offer practical guidance. It captures current thinking and best practice in evaluation, drawing on the inputs of internationally renowned evaluation experts from EvalNet and beyond. CY - Paris DA - 2021/03// PY - 2021 PB - OECD UR - https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/content/publication/543e84ed-en ER - TY - RPRT TI - 20 years of Outcome Mapping - Evolving practices for transformative change AU - OM Learning Community AB - To mark 20 years of Outcome Mapping, this paper presents the core principles and concepts that are foundational to using the approach. It also presents a set of guiding practices to support transformative change. The OMLC Stewards presented the paper at a special webinar on 29th April 2021 - see the link below for the recording. CY - OM Resources: Key Community Documents DA - 2021/03// PY - 2021 PB - Outcome Mapping Learning Community UR - https://www.outcomemapping.ca/download/en_20%20years%20of%20OM.pdf Y2 - 2022/09/30/11:11:16 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Adaptive Learning Guide: A pathway to stronger collaboration, learning, and adapting AU - Ross, Joey AU - Karlage, James AU - Etheridge, James AU - Alade, Mayowa AU - Fifield, Jocelyn AU - Goodwin, Christian AU - Semrau, Katherine AU - Hirschhorn, Lisa AB - The purpose of this Adaptive Learning Guide is to provide MOMENTUM project teams with the information and resources to integrate adaptive learning into the design, implementation, and improvement of MNCH/FP/RH programs. This guide provides a conceptual introduction to adaptive learning using links to existing resources and real-world examples of how adaptive learning can drive continuous learning and improvement in project work. The guide is built upon three foundational assumptions: We work in dynamic, often unpredictable environments. Unexpected turns of events will occur. Progress is rarely, if ever, linear. Integrating the principles and practices of USAID’s Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting Toolkit into projects and initiatives requires designing for learning and adaptation. We intend the guide to serve as a “starting point” for interested individuals and teams to begin or strengthen the processes that support the integration of adaptive learning into project work. CY - Washington DC DA - 2021/03// PY - 2021 DP - Zotero SP - 86 LA - en PB - USAID MOMENTUM Knowledge Accelerator ER - TY - RPRT TI - Opportunities and challenges for DAC members in ‘adapting to context’ AU - Sharp, Samuel AU - Wild, Leni AB - Key Messages New principles for OECD DAC members on ‘Managing for Sustainable Development Results’ emphasise tailoring result management approaches to different contexts; balancing internal compliance with empowerment at ground level; and adapting implementation in the pursuit of long-term outcomes. However development organisations face numerous challenges in aligning with these principles in practice. Reporting and evidence collection processes do not consistently encourage adaptive practice, reflecting their orientation towards accountability over learning. Context analysis is common during programme design, but used less on an ongoing basis. Popular tools –such as logical frameworks and theories of change - are often intepreted in linear ways, not as ‘living documents’ that react and change over time. Organisations need to meaningfully empower staff to work adaptively, including examining incentives and cultures that can make staff more comfortable with traditional results management. Even when senior leadership is supportive of adaptive ways of working, they can lack a clear understanding of the resourcing required and appropriate governance and management processes. Development organisations and their partners have attempted to address these challenges through the use of different monitoring and evaluation tools and methods, changes to reporting frameworks and templates, and initiatives to create positive incentives and motivate staff, leadership and partners at different levels. DA - 2021/03// PY - 2021 LA - en-gb UR - https://odi.org/en/publications/opportunities-and-challenges-for-dac-members-in-adapting-to-context/ Y2 - 2021/05/25/09:58:21 KW - _tablet ER - TY - RPRT TI - Peer reviews - Guidance for facilitators and participants AU - Wadley, Ian T2 - Mediation Practice Series AB - Essential points for practitioners and donors • Mediation offers a cost-effective and proven method for resolving armed conflict. Between 1985 and 2015, 75 per cent of armed conflicts in the world were resolved through agreement rather than by force. In most cases these processes will have involved third party facilitation or support. • Professional mediators understand the high stakes involved in their work to prevent, mitigate and resolve armed conflict. In addition, they and their financial supporters are increasingly required to demonstrate ‘value-for-money’ to ensure continued funding. • However, traditional monitoring and evaluation (M&E) methods are not well suited to this task, typically imposing artificially linear project models on a dynamic conflict situation, as well as compliance reporting that moves attention away from real value. • Traditional M&E methods tend to focus on documenting the past and generating vast amounts of data, rather than enabling timely adaptation of the project in the present. • Traditional M&E approaches rely heavily on external evaluation consultants. Even in the best of cases this may interfere with the mediation process and impose a heavy time burden on the project team, leading to low acceptance of traditional M&E approaches by mediation practitioners. • In contrast, an ideal M&E approach for mediation should deliver useful insights in even the most dynamic and sensitive mediation environments, impose a light reporting burden, and be readily accepted by mediation teams. It should protect discretion and trust, enable rapid adaptation, and also provide some assurance that donor funds are being well spent. CY - Geneve DA - 2021/03// PY - 2021 PB - Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue UR - https://www.hdcentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/HDC_MPS7_EN-REV2-WEB.pdf Y2 - 2023/08/15/07:40:00 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Doing Development Differently AU - Wild, Leni T2 - Stanford Social Innovation Review AB - International aid must use different approaches to address the massive systemic problems it seeks to solve. DA - 2021/03// PY - 2021 IS - Spring 2021 LA - en-us UR - https://ssir.org/articles/entry/doing_development_differently Y2 - 2021/03/23/08:56:23 KW - ⛔ No DOI found ER - TY - RPRT TI - A Political Economy Analysis Framework for EdTech Evidence Uptake AU - Pellini, Arnaldo AU - Nicolai, Susan AU - Magee, Arran AU - Sharp, Sam AU - Wilson, Sam DA - 2021/02/13/ PY - 2021 PB - The EdTech Hub ER - TY - JOUR TI - Linking the prepositions: using power analysis to inform strategies for social action AU - Gaventa, John T2 - Journal of Political Power AB - This article reviews longstanding debates about the relationship between power over and power to – often posed as the tension between domination and emancipation. It then turns to several frameworks which integrate these approaches to inform strategies for social action. In particular, it focuses on recent empirical studies which apply one such framework, the ‘powercube’, to glean insights into how social actors navigate across multiple forms, spaces and levels of power. In so doing, we gain clues into how relatively powerless groups develop the capacities for agency and action which challenge domination and in turn give new possibilities for emancipation. DA - 2021/02/10/ PY - 2021 DO - 10.1080/2158379X.2021.1878409 DP - Taylor and Francis+NEJM VL - 0 IS - 0 SP - 1 EP - 22 SN - 2158-379X ST - Linking the prepositions UR - https://doi.org/10.1080/2158379X.2021.1878409 Y2 - 2021/02/15/14:53:01 KW - Lukes KW - Power KW - agency KW - collective action KW - empowerment ER - TY - BLOG TI - How to make theories of change more useful? AU - Aston, Thomas T2 - Medium AB - A fair amount has been written recently questioning the value added of theories of change. Have we gone through a hype cycle? Are they… DA - 2021/02/05/T22:42:20.434Z PY - 2021 LA - en UR - https://thomasmtaston.medium.com/how-to-make-theories-of-change-more-useful-fc969076a44d Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:44:33 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Assumptions and triple loop learning AU - Aston, Thomas T2 - Medium AB - Triple loop learning DA - 2021/01/29/T22:51:08.488Z PY - 2021 LA - en UR - https://thomasmtaston.medium.com/assumptions-and-triple-loop-learning-c9699dacbeab Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:48:07 ER - TY - BLOG TI - 5 reflections on operationalising CLARISSA to generate evidence AU - Neupane, Sudarshan T2 - CLARISSA AB - As we start a new year, and especially, as 2021 is the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, understanding that the Worst Forms of Child Labour (WFCL) is complex is step one – there are no simple solutions. But we must go deeper than that, we must ensure that the programmes designed to intervene, and shape policy take on that complexity and precariousness. This is where the experience of the Child Labour: Action-Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia (CLARISSA) programme comes in. It is uniquely set up to generate evidence in innovative ways and to co-develop with our stakeholders’ solutions to the WFCL. This is ambitious, yes, but no one said it was going to be easy. DA - 2021/01/11/ PY - 2021 LA - en-US UR - https://clarissa.global/5-reflections-on-operationalising-clarissa-to-generate-evidence/ Y2 - 2024/01/26/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Adaptive Management: Learning and Action Approaches to Implementing Norms-shifting Interventions AU - McLarnon, Courtney AU - Gayles, Jennifer AU - Deepan, Prabu AB - What Passages has Learned about Adaptive Management: • Be reflective about information that is collected and create a culture of learning. • Be systematic about establishing monitoring and learning systems. • Be strategic about data sources and analysis, prioritizing areas for learning and addressing issues raised. • Be inclusive about information collection: who is collecting what, how, and how is it being used. CY - Washington DC DA - 2021/01// PY - 2021 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) LA - en PB - USAID / Passages UR - https://prevention-collaborative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/IRH_2021_Adaptive-Management.pdf Y2 - 2022/10/24/10:08:29 ER - TY - RPRT TI - USAID ADS 201 - Operational Policy for the Program Cycle (Update 01/23/2021) AU - USAID AB - The Program Cycle is USAID’s operational model for planning, delivering, assessing, and adapting development programming in a given region or country to advance U.S. foreign policy. It encompasses guidance and procedures for: 1) Making strategic decisions at the regional or country level about programmatic areas of focus and associated resources; 2) Designing projects and supportive activities to implement strategic plans; and 3) Learning from performance monitoring, evaluations, and other relevant sources of information to make course corrections as needed and inform future programming. CY - Washington DC DA - 2021/01// PY - 2021 DP - Zotero SP - 151 LA - en PB - USAID ER - TY - JOUR TI - Reframing, refining, and reconceptualising the worst forms of child labour through participatory adaptive programming AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Burns, Danny T2 - Journal of modern slavery AB - This article explores the potential of using participatory action research as an adaptive programming modality to drive learning and innovation to tackle the drivers of (and seek to eliminate) the Worst Forms of Child Labour. We draw on our experience from early phases of implementation of a large-scale action research programme, which despite the constraints covid-19 posed in moving to full implementation and participatory engagement with children and other stakeholders on the ground, is already generating rich learning about the opportunities and challenges of designing programmes that respond to the complex reality of WFCL. We share early learning about what it takes to be fully open to using the lived experience of programme development, and early findings from scoping and mapping of the dynamics of social norms, business practices and urban neighbourhoods and supply chains influencing WFCL in Bangladesh and Nepal, to frame and reframe the questions and response strategies and operationalise a participatory adaptive intent to work with hidden and complex dynamics that characterise the WFCL. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 DP - Zotero VL - 6 IS - 4 LA - en ER - TY - JOUR TI - A Systems Framework for International Development: The Data-Layered Causal Loop Diagram AU - Blair, Courtney AU - Gralla, Erica AU - Wetmore, Finley AU - Goentzel, Jarrod AU - Peters, Megan T2 - Production and Operations Management AB - Meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require adapting or redirecting a variety of very complex global and local human systems. It is essential that development scholars and practitioners have tools to understand the dynamics of these systems and the key drivers of their behavior, such as barriers to progress and leverage points for driving sustainable change. System dynamics tools are well suited to address this challenge, but they must first be adapted for the data-poor and fragmented environment of development work. Our key contribution is to extend the causal loop diagram (CLD) with a data layer that describes the status of and change in each variable based on available data. By testing dynamic hypotheses against the system's actual behavior, it enables analysis of a system's dynamics and behavioral drivers without simulation. The data-layered CLD was developed through a 4-year engagement with USAID/Uganda. Its contributions are illustrated through an application to agricultural financing in Uganda. Our analysis identified a lack of demand for agricultural loans as a major barrier to broadening agricultural financing, partially refuting an existing hypothesis that access to credit was the main constraint. Our work extends system dynamics theory to meet the challenges of this practice environment, enabling analysis of the complex dynamics that are crucial to achieving the SDGs. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 DO - 10.1111/poms.13492 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 30 IS - 12 SP - 4374 EP - 4395 LA - en SN - 1937-5956 ST - A Systems Framework for International Development UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/poms.13492 Y2 - 2022/07/01/08:55:09 ER - TY - BOOK TI - Change: How to Make Big Things Happen AU - Centola, Damon AB - How to create the change you want to see in the world using the paradigm-busting ideas in this "utterly fascinating" (Adam Grant) big-idea book.​ Most of what we know about how ideas spread comes from bestselling authors who give us a compelling picture of a world, in which "influencers" are king, "sticky" ideas "go viral," and good behavior is "nudged" forward. The problem is that the world they describe is a world where information spreads, but beliefs and behaviors stay the same. When it comes to lasting change in what we think or the way we live, the dynamics are beliefs and behaviors are not transmitted from person to person in the simple way that a virus is. The real story of social change is more complex. When we are exposed to a new idea, our social networks guide our responses in striking and surprising ways. Drawing on deep-yet-accessible research and fascinating examples from the spread of coronavirus to the success of the Black Lives Matter movement, the failure of Google+, and the rise of political polarization, Change presents groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting new science for understanding what drives change, and how we can change the world around us. CY - London DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 DP - Amazon SP - 352 LA - English PB - Little, Brown Spark SN - 978-0-316-45733-0 ST - Change ER - TY - RPRT TI - Engage. Empower. Enact. - Citizen Engagement & Democratic Innovation Programme White Paper AU - Doyle, Linda AU - Smith, Bethan AB - The Cynefin Centre’s Citizen Engagement & Democratic Innovation programme provides tools for collective sense-making in the areas of community development and youth work; civic engagement and democratic innovation; collaborative service/policy design and evaluation; housing/tenant engagement; futures and planning; shared learning and peer to peer knowledge exchange. CY - Conwy DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 DP - Zotero SP - 26 LA - en PB - Cognitive Edge ER - TY - CHAP TI - Co-Creating Digital Public Services AU - Jarke, Juliane T2 - Co-creating Digital Public Services for an Ageing Society: Evidence for User-centric Design A2 - Jarke, Juliane T3 - Public Administration and Information Technology AB - This chapter reviews key literature and concepts relating to the co-creation of digital public services. For this task, it is firstly important to consider what kind of digital public services may be suitable for co-creation. In order to do so, the first section of this chapter defines what a digital public service is (e.g. with respect to different types of service providers, different types of services and service delivery) and considers what kind of digital public services allow for meaningful citizen participation. To better conceptualise different degrees of participation, the subsequent section reviews Arnstein’s (1969) “ladder of citizen participation” and related work. This allows distinguishing between different degrees of non-participation, (consultative) participation and beyond. Thirdly, the chapter reviews traditional participatory approaches that provide the basis to co-creating of digital public services: (1) co-production of public services, (2) co-design and (3) civic open data use. The chapter summarises and compares the different rationales for participation in these approaches, and reviews how they understand the sharing of control, the sharing of knowledge and the enabling of change. CY - Cham DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 DP - Springer Link SP - 15 EP - 52 LA - en PB - Springer International Publishing SN - 978-3-030-52873-7 UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52873-7_3 Y2 - 2020/09/23/08:30:20 KW - Civic Tech KW - Co-creation KW - Co-design KW - Co-production KW - Digital public services KW - Open data KW - Open government KW - Participation KW - Participatory design KW - User-centric services KW - e-services ER - TY - BOOK TI - Co-creating Digital Public Services for an Ageing Society: Evidence for User-centric Design AU - Jarke, Juliane T2 - Public Administration and Information Technology AB - This open access book attends to the co-creation of digital public services for ageing societies. Increasingly public services are provided in digital form; their uptake however remains well below expectations. In particular, amongst older adults the need for public services is high, while at the same time the uptake of digital services is lower than the population average. One of the reasons is that many digital public services (or e-services) do not respond well to the life worlds, use contexts and use practices of its target audiences. This book argues that when older adults are involved in the process of identifying, conceptualising, and designing digital public services, these services become more relevant and meaningful.The book describes and compares three co-creation projects that were conducted in two European cities, Bremen and Zaragoza, as part of a larger EU-funded innovation project. The first part of the book traces the origins of co-creation to three distinct domains, in which co-creation has become an equally important approach with different understandings of what it is and entails: (1) the co-production of public services, (2) the co-design of information systems and (3) the civic use of open data. The second part of the book analyses how decisions about a co-creation project’s governance structure, its scope of action, its choice of methods, its alignment with strategic policies and its embedding in existing public information infrastructures impact on the process and its results. The final part of the book identifies key challenges to co-creation and provides a more general assessment of what co-creation may achieve, where the most promising areas of application may be and where it probably does not match with the contingent requirements of digital public services. Contributing to current discourses on digital citizenship in ageing societies and user-centric design, this book is useful for researchers and practitioners interested in co-creation, public sector innovation, open government, ageing and digital technologies, citizen engagement and civic participation in socio-technical innovation. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 DP - www.springer.com LA - en PB - Springer International Publishing SN - 978-3-030-52872-0 ST - Co-creating Digital Public Services for an Ageing Society UR - https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030528720 Y2 - 2020/09/23/08:30:33 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Don’t Build It: A Guide For Practitioners In Civic Tech / Tech For Development AU - Jordan, Luke AB - If you just remember these... If you can avoid building it, don’t build it; if you have to build it, hire a CTO, ship early, and mature long; and no matter what, draw on a trusted crew, build lean and fast, and get close to and build with your users as soon as possible. --- This guide aims to help you avoid bad projects, structure the team right, ship and learn quicker, and mature longer. The guide starts with project selection, including why the best project to select is no project at all. It moves on to team structure, and the extreme importance of a full-time senior tech lead (or chief technology officer (CTO), understood as an excellent engineering manager). It then covers timelines, emphasizing shipping early but having enormous patience getting to maturity, above all in finding product-use-fit, and avoiding vanity metrics. The guide then goes into some detail on hiring, covering the CTO role, senior contractors, designers and young engineers. The longest section, by some distance, is that on hiring. Hiring is the one thing considered critical in every piece of the lore, by founders and investors and managers alike, across all sectors. It is also the field in which I think I got it mostly right, and for reasons I can explain in ways that I believe will be helpful. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - Grassroot and MIT Governance Lab UR - https://mitgovlab.org/resources/dont-build-it-a-guide-for-practitioners-in-civic-tech Y2 - 2021/04/29/00:00:00 ER - TY - ELEC TI - OutNav - Evaluate outcomes and impact AU - Matter of Focus T2 - Matter of Focus AB - Make better use of your data and information to learn, improve and tell an evidenced story of the difference your organisation is making. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 LA - en-GB UR - https://www.matter-of-focus.com/outnav/ Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:18:40 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Agile: A New Way of Governing AU - Mergel, Ines AU - Ganapati, Sukumar AU - Whitford, Andrew B. T2 - Public Administration Review AB - The evolving concept of “agile” has fundamentally changed core aspects of software design, project management, and business operations. The agile approach could also reshape government, public management, and governance in general. In this Viewpoint essay, the authors introduce the modern agile movement, reflect on how it can benefit public administrators, and describe several challenges that managers will face when they are expected to make their organizations more flexible and responsive. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 DO - 10.1111/puar.13202 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 81 IS - 1 SP - 161 EP - 165 LA - en SN - 1540-6210 ST - Agile UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/puar.13202 Y2 - 2023/07/10/12:21:07 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Modelo HIP - Hexágono de la innovación pública AU - Oliván Cortés, Raúl DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 LA - es UR - https://modelohip.net/ Y2 - 2021/05/07/09:11:32 ER - TY - ELEC TI - Online Learning and collaborative platform for systems thinking and systems change AU - SI T2 - Systems Innovation DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 LA - en UR - https://www.systemsinnovation.io Y2 - 2021/05/07/09:07:11 ER - TY - SLIDE TI - Small Foundation Network Partner Evaluation Toolkit: Network Evaluation for Network Coordinators A2 - Small Foundation AB - This Toolkit This Toolkit presents an approach to network evaluation that is designed for network coordinators. This Toolkit provides guidance for network coordinators on how to: • More effectively use information they are already collecting as part of their routine coordination duties; • Collect other useful data that would support their network’s health and development; • Integrate network evaluation tasks into network activities, like convenings, to streamline the process; • Use data to effectively coordinate, grow, and sustain their networks. The Toolkit also provides examples of surveys, questionnaires, and dashboards, as well as tips for easy implementation. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 UR - https://smallfoundation.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/SF-Eval-Toolkit_June-2021.pdf Y2 - 2022/06/17/11:34:01 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Small Foundation Network Partner Evaluation Toolkit Network Evaluation for Network Coordinators Frequently Asked Questions AU - Small Foundation AB - This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document is written for Small Foundation network partners. It accompanies Network Partner Evaluation Toolkit, which outlines four evaluation tools that Small Foundation is encouraging, and supporting, its network partners to use to improve their operations and, ultimately, increase their impact. This FAQ document answers typical questions about these evaluation tools and provides additional detailed recommendations for how network coordinators can effectively implement them. This document has five sections: 1) A brief introduction to network theory and the value of evaluation for network coordinators. 2) An overview of the four evaluation tools and answers general questions about incorporating evaluation into network coordination duties. 3) Recommendations regarding the Network Coordinator Administrative Information (tool #1). 4) Information about Social Network Analysis (tool #2). 5) Recommendations regarding the Network Participant Survey (tool #3). 6) Information about the Collaborative Activity Dashboard (tool #4). DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 PB - Small Foundation UR - https://smallfoundation.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/SF-Eval-Toolkit-FAQ_June-2021.pdf Y2 - 2022/06/17/11:37:41 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Managing complexity (and chaos) in times of crisis. A field guide for decision makers inspired by the Cynefin framework AU - Snowden, Dave AU - Rancati, Alessandro AB - This field guide helps to navigate crises using the Cynefin framework as a compass. It proposes a four-stage approach through which we can: - assess the type of crisis and initiate a response; - adapt to the new pace and start building sensing networks to inform decisions; - repurpose existing structures and working methods to generate radical innovation; - transcend the crisis, formalise lessons learnt and increase resilience. The guide stresses the importance of setting and managing boundaries, building informal structures, keeping options open, distributing engagement and keeping an ongoing assessment of the evolving landscape. Action items, real life examples and demonstrations complement the references to the developing theoretical framework. CY - Luxemburg DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 PB - Publications Office of the European Union SN - JRC123629 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Uniting Against Corruption - A Playbook on Anti-Corruption Collective Action AU - UN Global Compact AB - The 2021 guide provides an easy-to-follow six-step approach on how to develop, implement, and sustain a CA, with respect to the reader’s local corruption landscape and potential stakeholders. The adaptive framework proposed can be used to address corruption challenges, mitigate possible business risks, and achieve optimal results. DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 PB - UN Global Compact UR - https://ungc-communications-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/publications/2021_Anti-Corruption_Collective.pdf Y2 - 2022/07/01/08:24:28 ER - TY - ELEC TI - Thinking Tools Studio AU - Waters Center T2 - Waters Center for Systems Thinking AB - Tools to help you Think DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 LA - en UR - https://thinkingtoolsstudio.waterscenterst.org/ Y2 - 2021/07/30/09:36:55 ER - TY - RPRT TI - What have we learned about learning? Unpacking the relationship between knowledge and organisational change in development agencies AU - Yanguas, Pablo AB - Development cooperation has spent decades wrangling over the merits, evidence, and implications of what we may term “the learning hypothesis”: the idea that increased knowledge by development organisations must logically lead to increased effectiveness in the performance of their development activities. Organisations of all stripes have built research and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) departments, adopted a multitude of knowledge management systems and tools, and tinkered with different ways to structure their organograms to stimulate knowledge sharing and learning. The topic of organisational learning is particularly significant as the global development community grapples with increasingly complex problems and the aspiration of evidence-based policymaking. This paper presents an analytical framework for interrogating “the learning hypothesis”, breaking it down into causal steps: knowledge causes learning, learning causes organisational change, change causes effectiveness. The framework focuses on the first two sub-hypotheses, mapping out the conceptual space around them by outlining potential relationships between different types of knowledge – tacit and explicit, internal and external – and between different types of learning – operational and strategic. This map provides a foundation for three key research questions: What impact has the rising knowledge agenda had on development organisations? Which factors appear to enable or inhibit organisational learning? What is the relationship between operational and strategic learning and organisational change? A review of available evaluations and studies, including two cases from former UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank, reveals that there is insufficient evidence to support the causal claim that knowledge leads to learning and thereby to organisational change in development agencies. Sources point to tacit learning prevailing while explicit knowledge management systems flounder, and external advocacy agendas appear more compelling than internal research and evaluation products. It is not entirely clear how, or indeed, whether operational and strategic learning intersect, with delivery-level lessons hardly aggregating into structural or policy shifts. Organisational change – even that aimed at enhancing learning – is rarely based on lessons learned from practice. More research is necessary to fully unpack the learning hypothesis, but what limited evidence is available disproves rather than confirms its central claim. This has significant implications for the future of learning in development agencies as advocated by thought leaders, researchers, and reformers. In particular, the latter should consider an evidence-based reassessment of the function and value-for-money of research and M&E in development practice, and a more critical examination of the politics of external advocacy efforts around innovative aid approaches like thinking and working politically, adaptive management, or results-based management. CY - Bonn DA - 2021/// PY - 2021 DP - DOI.org (Datacite) LA - en M3 - Discussion Paper PB - DIE - Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik SN - 9/2021 ST - What have we learned about learning? UR - https://www.die-gdi.de/discussion-paper/article/what-have-we-learned-about-learning-unpacking-the-relationship-between-knowledge-and-organisational-change-in-development-agencies/ Y2 - 2021/07/30/11:53:32 ER - TY - BLOG TI - “Real”​ process tracing: part 1 — context AU - Aston, Thomas T2 - Medium AB - When asserting the value of theory-based methods, you often here words like “black boxes” and “causal mechanisms.” These are commonly… DA - 2020/12/26/T09:59:27.959Z PY - 2020 LA - en ST - “Real”​ process tracing UR - https://thomasmtaston.medium.com/real-process-tracing-part-1-context-6a52777a6a98 Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:47:07 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Rubrics as a harness for complexity AU - Aston, Thomas T2 - Medium AB - In this final blog in the series, I want to look at the potential value of rubrics. While evaluability assessments can help us to… DA - 2020/12/24/T12:08:01.064Z PY - 2020 LA - en UR - https://thomasmtaston.medium.com/rubrics-as-a-harness-for-complexity-6507b36f312e Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:53:43 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Windows on the world: The power of assumptions in uncertain times AU - Aston, Thomas T2 - Medium AB - In my last blog on theory-based Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL), I explained why relationships matter, and how to assess change… DA - 2020/12/23/T09:55:16.686Z PY - 2020 LA - en ST - Windows on the world UR - https://thomasmtaston.medium.com/windows-on-the-world-the-power-of-assumptions-in-uncertain-times-b413e6f69720 Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:53:06 ER - TY - THES TI - Intervention or Collaboration? Redesigning Information and Communication Technologies for Development. AU - Bon, Anna AB - How can we design and build digital technologies to support people in poor and low resource environments to achieve their objectives? And how can we do this inclusively and ethically, while considering the complexity of their living and working environments? This is the central question in my research. One of the grand challenges of international development cooperation is to make digital technologies available for social and economic development of poor regions of the world. To achieve this goal – often referred to as ICT4D – knowledge and technologies are transferred from wealthy countries to poor regions. Nevertheless, these efforts have often turned out unsuccessful and unsustainable, despite large budgets and numerous projects in prestigious international development programs. Mismatch between the transferred technologies and the target environment is a recurrent problem of ICT4D projects. Improvement can be achieved, for example, by involving end-users in the design process. International development organizations are aware of this, and terms like "co-creation", "participation" and "user-oriented design" have nowadays become part of the international development discourse. However, real co-creation and user-centered design are incompatible with unidirectional transfer of technologies and knowledge (this is how ICT4D is commonly organized, in conventional international development). Moreover, the term participation becomes meaningless, in the light of externally formulated development goals. One key question to ask is: what do the envisaged users want? Remarkably, many ICT4D projects, programs and policies do not really ask and (field) investigate this question, which can only be answered by extensive research on-the-ground. This thesis describes the search for and the design of an alternative approach to ICT4D. Ten years of field and action research with partners in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana have led to a collaborative, iterative and adaptive approach, dubbed "ICT4D 3.0". What is novel of this alternative approach and how does it answer the central question? First of all, ICT4D 3.0 is a practical approach for critical investigation and action. It consists of a reconfigurable framework that guides the design and development of information systems, bridging the knowledge gap between developers and users to unlock and integrate different domains of (global, local, indigenous, academic, nonacademic) knowledge. It targets complex, resource-constrained environments where many (for the ICT developers and researchers) unfamiliar conditions or obstacles may exist. It fosters innovative capacity and learning in action, bringing together people with different backgrounds and perspectives in trans-disciplinary and multicultural teams. It is socio-technical, result-oriented, focused on the objectives of the stakeholders and the requirements of their livelihoods. This approach has been validated in various different contexts, by users, ICT developers, practitioners and students. Second, ICT4D 3.0 contributes to a theoretical understanding of ICT4D as a process of networked innovation in complex (adaptive) systems. The underlying idea is that knowledge sharing and diffusion of innovations are complex (non-linear) dynamic processes that evolve and propagate through social networks in rather unpredictable ways, whereby innovation works out differently, depending on context, and whereby contextual (e.g. social, cultural, environmental, political) factors play an important role, and have to be considered. This theoretical framework explains the effectiveness of a collaborative, iterative, adaptive approach in ICT4D. Third, ICT4D 3.0 is built on ethical principles. When reflecting on the meaning and purpose of digital development, it is clear that digital development is not only a question of technology and practice, and collaboration is more than a prerequisite for successful technological innovation and long-term sustainability: collaboration is a fundamental human, ethical value. Therefore, as a reflective practitioner, one has to ask oneself whose interests one is actually looking after, which goals one is trying to achieve, where they come from, how power and political issues play a role and which core values are at stake. This makes ICT4D 3.0 into a democratic process of dialogue and deliberation, in which all voices are heard, in which the local context and complexity are central and in which development goals are determined by the users themselves and not imposed from outside. In this light, the approach proposed in this thesis takes a value position and can be considered a decolonial approach, striving for democracy, emancipation, autonomy and social and economic betterment. Field experience shows that ICT4D can be a meaningful, collaborative, networked process of knowledge sharing, driven by local initiatives, realizing change for the better, in a complex world. DA - 2020/12/15/ PY - 2020 DP - ResearchGate ST - Intervention or Collaboration? ER - TY - BLOG TI - Reflections on if and how our partnership is working in Bangladesh AU - Paul, Sukanta AU - Snijder, Mieke AU - Apgar, Marina T2 - CLARISSA AB - Effective partnership working is crucial to producing quality results, especially when working with complex problems such as the worst forms... DA - 2020/12/14/T16:03:45+00:00 PY - 2020 LA - en-US UR - https://clarissa.global/reflections-on-if-and-how-our-partnership-is-working-in-bangladesh/ Y2 - 2023/10/12/10:49:16 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Risk navigation for Thinking and Working Politically: The work and disappearance of Sombath Somphone AU - Sims, Kearrin T2 - Development Policy Review AB - Abstract Motivation On December 15, 2012 Sombath Somphone was abducted at a police checkpoint in his home city of Vientiane, the capital of Laos; his whereabouts remain unknown. This article considers his work and disappearance through the lens of Thinking and Working Politically (TWP) approaches to development. The article is supportive of TWP, but emphasizes the significant risks of politicized programming in authoritarian contexts. Purpose By examining the case of Sombath Somphone, the article seeks to offer insights for safer, and more effective, TWP programming. It considers how specific events in authoritarian contexts can suddenly reposition development workers and/or organizations as political dissidents. Approaches and Methods The argument draws on analysis of grey literature; conversational and observational knowledge accrued during 18 months of fieldwork in Laos between 2011 and 2018; on‐going formal and informal interviews with members of Laos’ civil society sector; and extensive dialogue with Sombath Somphone’s wife, Ng Shui Meng. Findings The article identifies four key factors that contributed to the enforced disappearance of Sombath Somphone: international exposure; timing; particular elites; and strategies of oppression. It highlights the need for further consideration of how to anticipate and mitigate the dangers of politically oriented development work, as well as the different forms of risk experienced by local and international development actors working in authoritarian contexts. Policy Implications TWP has much to offer to development practice, but its contributions should not threaten the safety of local development actors. More attention must be given to preventing and mitigating such risks. DA - 2020/12/02/ PY - 2020 DO - 10.1111/dpr.12527 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) SP - dpr.12527 J2 - Dev Policy Rev LA - en SN - 0950-6764, 1467-7679 ST - Risk navigation for Thinking and Working Politically UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dpr.12527 Y2 - 2020/12/16/09:38:58 ER - TY - CHAP TI - Nuru Kenya transition from Nuru International, Kenya AU - Dillan, Haley AU - Ouma, Joel AU - Yamron, David T2 - What Transformation Takes - Evidence of Responsible INGO Transitions to Locally Led Development Around the World A2 - Renoir, Megan A2 - Boone, Grace AB - This case study is an example of a phased transfer of ownership and responsibility from INGO Nuru International to Nuru Kenya, including the exit of all international staff. Post-transition, Nuru Kenya is managed entirely by Kenyan staff, although it continues to receive financial support from Nuru International. A lot of the elements described are aligned with Adaptive Management ways of working. CY - London DA - 2020/12// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 31 LA - en PB - Peace Direct ER - TY - RPRT TI - Instituciones que aprenden - Informe para la XXVII Cumbre Iberoamericana de Jefes y Jefas de Estado y de Gobierno AU - Oliván Cortés, Raúl AB - La pandemia de la Covid-19 ha brotado súbitamente en un momento de transición para las instituciones y organizaciones sociales de medio mundo. Cuando aún no se había superado la crisis de confianza de la última década entre los ciudadanos y los gobiernos, en un momento de gran impulso de las iniciativas de gobierno abierto, planes de innovación y transformación digital, para hacer más democráticas y eficientes las administraciones a través de programas políticos encaminados a configurar un nuevo contrato social, verde y digital en el marco de la Agenda 2030; el coronavirus ha provocado un shock histórico alterando el decurso del siglo XXI y exigiendo una aceleración de todos los procesos en marcha. La complejidad y dimensión de la pandemia ha puesto de manifiesto la necesidad de arquitecturas institucionales más flexibles, ágiles y resilientes, que sean capaces de incorporar toda la energía civil para aprender de su talento y creatividad, dándole mayor protagonismo a la ciudadanía (activistas, emprendedores, tejido asociativo, academia, makers…) no solo en la toma de decisiones sino también en el diseño e implementación de las estrategias. Conforme se centrifugaba a millones de empleados a teletrabajar desde sus casas, se hacía más poderosa la idea de pensar las organizaciones como flujos más allá de los organigramas estáticos de lugares y personas. Transformar las jerarquías en redes, concebirlas como cuerpos sociales dinámicos, no solo amplía su radio de acción y su conectividad exterior, también reactiva sus fortalezas internas, aflora los liderazgos ocultos, multiplica el valor social producido y maximiza el uso eficiente de los recursos en una época de limitaciones. Los laboratorios de innovación pública, social o ciudadana, o laboratorios de gobierno, junto a otras formas de innovación abierta y diseño social, se reivindican como proyectos inspiradores de un cambio de paradigma: de las instituciones que ordenan a las instituciones que aprenden. Pensar las organizaciones bajo el prisma de la ciencia de redes y la ética de los rizomas –nodos, enlaces, hubs, comunidades…– nos debería permitir una aproximación a la compleja y escurridiza tarea de configurar los ecosistemas de innovación y creatividad en el ámbito de lo público y lo social. Este informe propone un modelo denominado Hexágono de la Innovación Pública (HIP) que promueve un cambio sistémico a través de seis vectores (OPEN_ abierto, TRANS_ transversal, FAST_ ágil, PROTO_ modelado, CO_ colaborativo y TEC_ tecnológico) basados en las propiedades de las redes y en el análisis de 105 metodologías que usan las agencias más innovadoras del mundo. Se incluyen una herramienta de autodiagnóstico y el HIP-SIM, una primera aproximación a un software abierto para visualizar, modelar y simular la creación de ecosistemas innovadores con el que queremos propiciar una comunidad y un debate internacional. CY - Andorra DA - 2020/12// PY - 2020 PB - XXVII Cumbre Iberoamericana UR - https://modelohip.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/SEGIB-Instituciones-que-aprenden_ES.pdf Y2 - 2021/05/07/09:17:50 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Instituições que aprendem - Relatório para a XXVII Cimeira Ibero-Americana de Chefes de Estado e de Governo AU - Oliván Cortés, Raúl AB - A pandemia da Covid-19 surgiu de súbito num momento de transição para as instituições e organizações sociais de meio mundo. Antes ainda de se ter ultrapassado a crise de confiança da última década entre os cidadãos e os governos, num momento de grande impulso das iniciativas de governo aberto e de planos de inovação e transformação digital para tornar mais democráticas e eficientes as administrações através de programas políticos encaminhados para configurar um novo contrato social, verde e digital no quadro da Agenda 2030, o coronavírus provocou um choque histórico alterando o curso do século XXI e exigindo uma aceleração de todos os processos em andamento. A complexidade e dimensão da pandemia revelou a necessidade de arquiteturas institucionais mais flexíveis, ágeis e resilientes, capazes de incorporar toda a energia civil para aprenderem com o seu talento e criatividade, dando maior protagonismo à cidadania (ativistas, empreendedores, tecido associativo, academia, makers…) não só na tomada de decisões mas também na configuração e implementação das estratégias. À medida que se afastava do centro a milhões de empregados para teletrabalhar a partir de casa, tornou-se mais poderosa a ideia de pensar nas organizações como fluxos que excedem os organigramas estáticos de lugares e pessoas. Transformar as hierarquias em redes, concebê-las como corpos sociais dinâmicos, não só alarga o seu raio de ação e conectividade externa, mas também reativa as suas forças internas, aflora as lideranças ocultas, multiplica o valor social produzido e maximiza o uso eficiente dos recursos numa época de limitações. Os laboratórios de inovação pública, social ou cidadã, ou laboratórios de governo, a par de outras formas de inovação aberta e configuração social, reivindicam-se como projetos inspiradores de uma mudança de paradigma: de instituições que ordenam para instituições que aprendem. Pensar nas organizações sob a ótica da ciência das redes e da ética dos rizomas – nós, ligações, hubs, comunidades… – deverá permitir-nos uma aproximação à complexa e subtil tarefa de configurar os ecossistemas de inovação e criatividade no âmbito público e social. Este relatório propõe um modelo denominado Hexágono da Inovação Pública (HIP) que promove uma transformação sistémica através de seis vetores (OPEN_ aberto, TRANS_ transversal, FAST_ rápido, PROTO_ modelado, CO_ colaborativo e TEC_ tecnológico) baseados nas propriedades das redes e na análise de 105 metodologias usadas pelas agências mais inovadoras do mundo. Incluem-se uma ferramenta de autodiagnóstico e o HIP-SIM, uma primeira aproximação a um software aberto para visualizar, modelar e simular a criação de ecossistemas inovadores com o qual queremos favorecer a comunidade e o debate internacional. CY - Andorra DA - 2020/12// PY - 2020 PB - XXVII Cimeira Ibero-Americana UR - https://modelohip.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/SEGIB-Institui_oes-que-aprendem_PT.pdf Y2 - 2021/05/07/09:17:45 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Principles for managing in complexity AU - Proud, Emma T2 - LearnAdapt AB - Written by Toby Lowe and Shaheen Warren (Centre for Public Impact) and Sam Sharp (Overseas Development Institute), with input from Jamie… DA - 2020/11/30/T17:43:04.450Z PY - 2020 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/learnadapt/principles-for-managing-in-complexity-daee9a056b9d Y2 - 2023/08/06/19:29:09 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Program Logic Foundations: Putting the Logic Back into Program Logic AU - Hawkins, Andrew J. T2 - Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation AB - Abstract Background: Program logic is one of the most used tools by the public policy evaluator. There is, however, little explanation in the evaluation literature about the logical foundations of program logic or discussion of how it may be determined if a program is logical. This paper was born on a long journey that started with program logic and ended with the logic of evaluation. Consistent throughout was the idea that the discipline of program evaluation is a pragmatic one, concerned with applied social science and effective action in complex, adaptive systems. It gradually became the central claim of this paper that evidence-based policy requires sound reasoning more urgently than further development and testing of scientific theory. This was difficult to reconcile with the observation that much evaluation was conducted within a scientific paradigm, concerned with the development and testing of various types of theory. Purpose: This paper demonstrates the benefits of considering the core essence of a program to be a proposition about the value of a course of action. This contrasts with a research-based paradigm in which programs are considered to be a type of theory, and in which experimental and theory-driven evaluations are conducted. Experimental approaches focus on internal validity of knowledge claims about programs and on discovering stable cause and effect relationships—or, colloquially, ‘what works?’. Theory-driven approaches tend to focus on external validity and in the case of the realist approach, the search for transfactual causal mechanisms—extending the ‘what works’ mantra to include ‘for whom and in what circumstances’. On both approaches, evaluation aspires to be a scientific pursuit for obtaining knowledge of general laws of phenomena, or in the case of realists, replicable context-mechanism-outcome configurations. This paper presents and seeks to justify an approach rooted in logic, and that supports anyone to engage in a reasonable and democratic deliberation about the value of a course of action. It is consistent with systems thinking, complexity and the associated limits to certainty for determining the value of a proposed, or actual, course of action in the social world. It suggests that evaluation should learn from the past and have an eye toward the future, but that it would be most beneficial if concerned with evaluating in the present, in addressing the question ‘is this a good idea here and now? Findings: In seeking foundations of program logic, this paper exposes roots that extend far deeper than the post-enlightenment, positivist and post-positivist social science search for stable cause and effect relationships. These roots lie in the 4th century BCE with Aristotle’s ‘enthymeme’. The exploration leads to conclusions about the need for a greater focus on logic and reasoning in the design and evaluation of programs and interventions for the public good. Science and research are shown to play a crucial role in providing reasons or warrants to support a claim about the value of a course of action; however, one subordinate to the alpha-discipline of logical evaluation and decision making that must consider what is feasible given the context, capability and capacity available, not to mention values and ethics. Program Design Logic (PDL) is presented as an accessible and incremental innovation that may be used to determine if a program makes sense ‘on paper’ in the design stage as well as ‘in reality’ during delivery. It is based on a configurationalist theory of causality and the concepts of ‘necessary’ and ‘sufficient’ conditions. It is intended to guide deliberation and decision making across the life cycle of any intervention intended for the public good. DA - 2020/11/19/ PY - 2020 DP - journals.sfu.ca VL - 16 IS - 37 SP - 38 EP - 57 LA - en SN - 1556-8180 ST - Program Logic Foundations UR - https://journals.sfu.ca/jmde/index.php/jmde_1/article/view/657 Y2 - 2021/05/18/14:45:11 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Development and radical uncertainty AU - Feinstein, Osvaldo T2 - Development in Practice AB - Development strategies, programmes and projects are designed making assumptions concerning several variables such as future prices of outputs and inputs, exchange rates and productivity growth. However, knowledge about the future is limited. Uncertainty prevails. The usual approach to deal with uncertainty is to reduce it to risk. Uncertainty is perceived as a negative factor that should and can be eliminated. This article presents an alternative approach which recognises that radical uncertainty is irreducible to risk, identifying a positive dimension of uncertainty and showing its implications for development practice. DA - 2020/11/16/ PY - 2020 DO - 10.1080/09614524.2020.1763258 DP - Taylor and Francis+NEJM VL - 30 IS - 8 SP - 1105 EP - 1113 SN - 0961-4524 UR - https://doi.org/10.1080/09614524.2020.1763258 Y2 - 2022/07/11/10:14:36 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Discussing Adaptive Approaches for Development Programmes AU - Pett, Jamie T2 - Medium - LearnAdapt AB - What can adaptive approaches from other sectors teach development practitioners about dealing with uncertainty? DA - 2020/11/02/T13:53:21.075Z PY - 2020 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/learnadapt/discussing-adaptive-approaches-for-development-programmes-858ceb2cce32 Y2 - 2021/06/04/10:41:30 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Agency in the face of path dependence: how organizations can regain scope for maneuver AU - Fortwengel, Johann AU - Keller, Arne T2 - Business Research AB - This paper tackles a key problem in path dependence research: how can locked-in organizations regain their scope for maneuver? Leveraging insights from two surprising and thus revelatory cases of organizations that have successfully escaped from path dependence, we develop the theoretical argument that regaining scope for maneuver can be achieved by interrupting the logic of a path’s underlying self-reinforcing mechanisms. More specifically, we argue that, through a targeted interruption of the working of these mechanisms, hyper-stable patterns inscribed in an organization can be gradually rewound—and alternative futures become possible. We position our paper within larger debates around the role of agency in path dependence theorizing, and we outline research frontiers to better understand the necessary antecedents of and exact relationship between mechanisms interruption and pattern unwinding. DA - 2020/11/01/ PY - 2020 DO - 10.1007/s40685-020-00118-w DP - Springer Link VL - 13 IS - 3 SP - 1169 EP - 1201 J2 - Bus Res LA - en SN - 2198-2627 ST - Agency in the face of path dependence UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40685-020-00118-w Y2 - 2023/12/20/13:51:32 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Diseño transformacional de proyectos AU - Kehrer, Daniel AB - There are many definitions of the term ‘transformation’ or ‘transformational change’. The first section of the report develops a basic understanding of transformations or transitions (used synonymously) viewed from various perspectives. In this, transformations are defined as processes that use disruptive innovations to change systems into fundamentally new systems that subsequently form the new mainstream. Section two describes existing approaches to environmental and climate finance in international cooperation and discusses them in light of the proposed definition. All of the approaches have the potential to be further refined and in that process often to increase the precision of what is understood by each type of transformation. The definitions already state which criteria and indicators are referred to and how relevant they are. There is wide diversity in the type of criteria and indicators used by the various organisations, and how they are classified, but certain common features can be identified and with the aid of the literature on transformations they can be combined to form a comprehensive framework. With this in mind, the derivation of quality criteria for transformative interventions is explained in section 3.1. Transformational change at one and the same time calls for big decisions and innumerable projects in a particular field of transformation; the projects cannot be planned on the drawing board but still should be coordinated with each other. Section 3.2 offers guidance on this. Section 3.3 argues in favour of focusing more closely on the ‘process promise’ and employing a more iterative and more adaptable commissioning procedure. Finally, section 3.4 introduces two types of indicators under the various criteria: design indicators, which measure the quality of interventions that are aimed at influencing transformations (process orientation), and outcome indicators, which measure the process and/or progress of a transformation itself. CY - Bonn DA - 2020/11// PY - 2020 PB - GIZ UR - https://www.giz.de/expertise/downloads/GIZ-BMU_2020_Transformative%20Project%20Design_EN.pdf Y2 - 2021/03/31/08:49:20 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Transformative project design AU - Kehrer, Daniel AB - There are many definitions of the term ‘transformation’ or ‘transformational change’. The first section of the report develops a basic understanding of transformations or transitions (used synonymously) viewed from various perspectives. In this, transformations are defined as processes that use disruptive innovations to change systems into fundamentally new systems that subsequently form the new mainstream. Section two describes existing approaches to environmental and climate finance in international cooperation and discusses them in light of the proposed definition. All of the approaches have the potential to be further refined and in that process often to increase the precision of what is understood by each type of transformation. The definitions already state which criteria and indicators are referred to and how relevant they are. There is wide diversity in the type of criteria and indicators used by the various organisations, and how they are classified, but certain common features can be identified and with the aid of the literature on transformations they can be combined to form a comprehensive framework. With this in mind, the derivation of quality criteria for transformative interventions is explained in section 3.1. Transformational change at one and the same time calls for big decisions and innumerable projects in a particular field of transformation; the projects cannot be planned on the drawing board but still should be coordinated with each other. Section 3.2 offers guidance on this. Section 3.3 argues in favour of focusing more closely on the ‘process promise’ and employing a more iterative and more adaptable commissioning procedure. Finally, section 3.4 introduces two types of indicators under the various criteria: design indicators, which measure the quality of interventions that are aimed at influencing transformations (process orientation), and outcome indicators, which measure the process and/or progress of a transformation itself. CY - Bonn DA - 2020/11// PY - 2020 PB - GIZ UR - https://www.giz.de/expertise/downloads/GIZ-BMU_2020_Transformative%20Project%20Design_EN.pdf Y2 - 2021/03/31/08:49:20 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Guidelines for Country Strategic Frameworks Programmes and Projects AU - Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark CY - Copenhagen DA - 2020/11// PY - 2020 LA - en PB - Government of Denmark UR - https://amg.um.dk/tools/guidance-note-for-adaptive-management Y2 - 2023/09/29/09:26:56 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Extending epistemology for programme evaluation – can After Action Reviews become spaces for critical reflection? AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Snijder, Mieke T2 - Methodspace - Sage AB - The term After Action Review (AAR) is becoming more common in the world of development evaluation, particularly in programmes that focus on evaluation as a formative learning process. As structured and facilitated learning moments, AARs take many shapes always built to support a specific team in a specific moment on their journey. Across such a diversity of practice how do we understand the evolution of the AAR as a method with an action research orientation? Being mindful always of the risk of instrumentalising and co-opting participatory methods, there is danger that AARs become an empty programme ritual, remaining at the surface and failing to achieve critical reflection and so falling short of their intention of pushing for deeper change in our practice. As the evaluation and learning team of two large complex, multi-partner projects using research to address development challenges, we have been applying the AAR method while adapting to virtual COVID working with partners across the world. As action researchers we have been thinking about what critical reflection means within a programme AAR process and whether and how they can open up a second person inquiry space. DA - 2020/10/31/ PY - 2020 LA - en-US UR - https://www.methodspace.com/blog/extending-epistemology-for-programme-evaluation-can-after-action-reviews-become-spaces-for-critical-reflection Y2 - 2023/12/19/10:43:59 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Rapid Action Learning and COVID-19 AU - Chambers, Robert T2 - Sanitation Learning Hub AB - A-ha! A moment etched in my memory: 20 or so researchers were... DA - 2020/10/06/T09:46:33+00:00 PY - 2020 LA - en-GB UR - https://sanitationlearninghub.org/2020/10/06/rapid-action-learning-for-covid-19/ Y2 - 2020/10/16/14:03:59 ER - TY - ELEC TI - A Guide To Agile Project Management Methodology & Tools AU - Aston, Ben T2 - The Digital Project Manager AB - Looking to brush-up on agile? Here's your complete guide to agile project management, agile principles and key components, and the best agile tools for 2020. DA - 2020/10/01/T03:28:20+00:00 PY - 2020 LA - en-US UR - https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/agile-project-management/ Y2 - 2020/11/19/10:54:15 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Rules of Thumb – good idea or double-edged sword? AU - Green, Duncan T2 - From Poverty to Power AB - A recent conversation with a good governance programme in Myanmar tried to identify its underlying rules of thumb. Was that a good idea? DA - 2020/10/01/T06:30:11+00:00 PY - 2020 LA - en-GB UR - https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/rules-of-thumb-good-idea-or-double-edged-sword/ Y2 - 2020/10/01/10:20:41 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Linking constituent engagement and adaptive management AU - Buell, Stephanie AU - Campbell, Megan AU - Pett, Jamie AB - Constituent engagement is the two-way process of involving constituents in the design, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of programmes. Constituent engagement and adaptive management together can be a powerful combination; high-quality constituent engagement can reinforce effective adaptive management, and vice versa. By highlighting stories from leading practitioners and their organisations, this paper explores how programmes ensure that constituent engagement informs meaningful adaptation. Key messages Constituent engagement and adaptive management are both important tools for implementing responsive and effective development programmes. Together, they can be a powerful combination: input from constituent engagement can be a key source of information and evidence that meaningfully informs programme design and adaptation, and closing the feedback loop in this way increases the quality of future engagement. Both adaptive management and community engagement principles recognise that, for a programme to be effective, it must be responsive to the people meant to ultimately benefit from it. Beyond providing a key source of information for potential programme adaptations, constituent engagement efforts also help build trust with stakeholders, align expectations and promote accountability. This paper explores five key elements for ensuring that constituent engagement and adaptive management are effectively linked within a programme: strong internal systems and external channels; skilled staff that value engagement and adaptation; decision-maker champions; clear points for reflection and action; and a meaningful role for constituents. CY - London DA - 2020/10// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - Overseas Development Institute ER - TY - RPRT TI - Adaptive management: A practical guide to mitigating uncertainty and advancing evidence-based programming AU - Byom, K. AU - Ingram, M. AU - Oakley, A. AU - Serpe, L. AB - Pact’s Adaptive Management Guide provides practical guidance to development practitioners globally on the mindsets, behaviors, resources, and processes that underpin an effective adaptive management system. It presents an approach to managing adaptively that is rooted in complexity analysis and program theory. It draws on Pact’s global experiences and work on topics as diverse as health, livelihoods, markets, governance, capacity development, women and youth, and more. This document begins with an introduction to adaptive management, then walks through successive steps to determine how much adaptation a project requires and how to design an appropriate system. The second half of this guidebook contains a toolkit of examples and templates that projects can tailor to their needs. CY - Washington DC DA - 2020/10// PY - 2020 LA - en PB - PACT ST - Adaptive management UR - https://www.pactworld.org/library/adaptive-management-practical-guide-mitigating-uncertainty-and-advancing-evidence-based Y2 - 2021/01/04/11:34:24 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Using middle-level theory to improve programme and evaluation design AU - Cartwright, N AB - What can middle-level theory do? Middle-level theory (MLT) has several uses in development planning and evaluation. „ It helps predict whether a programme can be expected to work in a new setting. „ It offers insights into what design features are needed for success. „ It provides invaluable information for monitoring to see if the programme is on track and to fix problems that arise. „ It reveals the causal processes and related assumptions to be tested in an evaluation and helps identify evaluation questions. „ It helps in interpreting evaluation findings, assessing their relevance and locating a description of them that is useful for programme design and evaluation in other settings CY - Oxford DA - 2020/10// PY - 2020 M3 - Methods Brief PB - CEDIL UR - https://cedilprogramme.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/PDD10144-CEDIL-Template-WEB.pdf Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:55:21 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Inspiring Radically Better Futures - Evidence and Hope for Impact at Scale in a Time of Crisis AU - Guijt, Irene AU - Mayne, Ruth AB - The world faces converging crises of health, climate, gender and racial injustice and extreme economic inequality. The calls are mounting to ‘build back better’ to create more inclusive, caring and environmentally sustainable futures. But what evidence exists that this is possible? The Inspiring Better Futures case study series investigates whether radical change at scale is possible and how it was achieved. This paper synthesises 18 cases which show that people are already successfully building better futures, benefitting millions of people, even against the odds in some of the world’s toughest contexts in lower-income countries. Together they offer hope that transformative change and radically better futures after the pandemic are within reach. CY - London DA - 2020/10// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 53 LA - en PB - Oxfam ER - TY - RPRT TI - Building Better Systems - An introduction to System Innovation AU - Winhall, Jennie AU - Leadbeater, Charles AB - This paper lays out a series of steps people can take to create the new systems we need to meet shared, public challenges. Systems are ubiquitous and powerful. We rely on them to support our daily lives: every time we turn on a tap, flick a switch for electricity, drop our child at school, jump on a bus or visit a doctor we rely on a wider system. There is a widespread sense, among decision makers and citizens that in the coming decades society will need not just new products, software and services, but new systems for living sustainably in a socially inclusive society. The need for better, different systems will be heightened by the impact and lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic. Systems are productive precisely because they are more than standalone products. A system pulls together all the different ingredients needed to meet a need or to produce an outcome: the shipping container is a product, containerisation is a system; a contactless payment card is a product which only works as part of a payments system; an operation in a hospital can only take place because it is part of a wider health system. To understand how a system works it has to be seen as a whole, from the macro policy frameworks of social security systems right down to how a citizen goes about finding a job. Many of the systems we rely on for care and work, energy and transport, education and health are under pressure to change. Society faces both deeply entrenched and growing challenges that are outpacing the systems we have. We also have opportunities to create new, alternative systems as new knowledge, values and technologies emerge, from artificial intelligence and bitcoin, to circular and renewable systems of production. Rising to the challenge of fixing an existing system and exploring the possibility of creating a new system are different undertakings. The first is about optimising what exists, the second is about creating something different and better. We want this project to yield practical insights for those who want to respond to the systemic challenges of today by stepping into the possibilities of the future. Acting to change systems depends on new ways of seeing both challenge and opportunity: why systems come under strain and what unlocks the potential for alternatives. It depends on better understanding how new systems form, and what and who is part of initiating and driving the transition to them. In putting together this paper and the ones that will follow from it we want to clarify how to assess the need for, invest in and act on the process of deliberate system change. CY - København K DA - 2020/10// PY - 2020 LA - en-GB PB - The Rockwool Foundation UR - https://www.systeminnovation.org/article-building-better-systems Y2 - 2022/06/17/12:02:20 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Locally Led Development: Engaging Local Stakeholders in Building An Evidence Base AU - OLS T2 - USAID Learning Lab AB - For two months in the Spring of 2020, the Office of Local Sustainability’s Evidence and Learning Team invited staff from across USAID to join us in exploring how the Agency approaches its generation and use of evidence from the perspective of locally led development. Our seven-part Standards of Evidence for Locally Led Development series brought together eight expert presenters and more than 670 participants to engage in conversations ranging from scientific research to complexity-aware monitoring to ethical considerations when conducting research. This blog post outlines some of our key learnings from the series and introduces the topics covered by each presenter. We encourage you to explore the event resources and share your own takeaways in the comment section below. WHAT DID WE LEARN? Three key themes emerged from the series: - Practitioners should draw on a wide range of evidence to inform locally led development programming. - Local actors can provide important contextual knowledge throughout the life of your research programs. - Prioritize local actors as the end users for your evidence to help them build their own self-reliance and increase sustainability of your program’s outcomes. DA - 2020/09/29/T15:50:35-04:00 PY - 2020 LA - en M3 - Text ST - Locally Led Development UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/lab-notes/locally-led-development-engaging-local-stakeholders-building-evidence-base Y2 - 2024/01/31/00:00:00 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Four ways development practitioners can borrow from private sector adaptive approaches AU - Pett, Jamie T2 - LearnAdapt AB - Agile, lean startup and human-centred design can be an answer — if you’re asking the right questions DA - 2020/09/28/T15:49:09.590Z PY - 2020 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/learnadapt/four-ways-development-practitioners-can-borrow-from-private-sector-adaptive-approaches-e5af0689ca78 Y2 - 2020/10/14/09:56:38 ER - TY - VIDEO TI - What is Rapid Action Learning and how was it developed? AU - Sanitation Learning Hub AB - To celebrate the publication of our latest Frontiers of Sanitation, we had a series of conversations with our colleagues and partners on our work on Rapid Action Learning so far. To download the publication in full, head to https://sanitationlearninghub.org/res... DA - 2020/09/22/ PY - 2020 DP - YouTube UR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLogOc8N6N-DtBEaMp7xNC7bwaq29U6KkM&v=cRUb8AVuyKo Y2 - 2020/10/16/13:59:51 ER - TY - BLOG TI - How to Monitor and Evaluate an Adaptive Programme: 7 Takeaways AU - Sikustahili, Gloria AU - Adkins, Julie AU - Makongo, Japhet AU - Milligan, Simon T2 - From Poverty to Power AB - Monitoring and Evaluation needs to be different to support the new generation of 'adaptive programmes' in aid. 4 M&E specialists in Tanzania explain how. DA - 2020/09/18/T06:30:00+00:00 PY - 2020 LA - en-GB ST - How to Monitor and Evaluate an Adaptive Programme UR - https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/how-to-monitor-and-evaluate-an-adaptive-programme-7-takeaways/ Y2 - 2020/10/15/11:51:38 ER - TY - BLOG TI - The Hidden Life of Theories of Change AU - Green, Duncan T2 - From Poverty to Power AB - A smart new report explores how a good idea - theories of change - is distorted by the way it is implemented in the aid sector DA - 2020/09/17/T06:30:22+00:00 PY - 2020 LA - en-GB UR - https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/the-hidden-life-of-theories-of-change/ Y2 - 2020/10/15/12:04:05 ER - TY - MGZN TI - 5 Principles to Guide Adaptive Leadership AU - Ramalingam, Ben AU - Nabarro, David AU - Oqubuy, Arkebe AU - Carnall, Dame Ruth AU - Wild, Leni T2 - Harvard Business Review AB - How you respond to a crisis will have repercussions for years to come. The Covid-19 pandemic is constantly evolving, with leaders facing unpredictability, imperfect information, multiple unknowns, and the need to identify responses quickly — all while recognizing the multi-dimensional (health-related, economic, social, political, cultural) nature of the crisis. Responding to the crisis requires adaptive leadership, which involves what we refer to as the 4 A’s: Anticipation of likely future needs, trends and options. Articulation of these needs to build collective understanding and support for action. Adaptation so that there is continuous learning and the adjustment of responses as necessary. Accountability, including maximum transparency in decision-making processes and openness to challenges and feedback. DA - 2020/09/11/T12:05:17Z PY - 2020 DP - hbr.org SN - 0017-8012 UR - https://hbr.org/2020/09/5-principles-to-guide-adaptive-leadership Y2 - 2020/09/28/13:40:17 KW - Crisis management KW - Leadership ER - TY - BLOG TI - The Long and Short of It: Responding to immediate needs while pursuing long-term goals AU - Pett, Jamie T2 - LearnAdapt AB - How can we balance our need to respond to a crisis with our long-term goals for systemic change? DA - 2020/09/07/T14:59:57.018Z PY - 2020 LA - en ST - The Long and Short of It UR - https://medium.com/learnadapt/the-long-and-short-of-it-responding-to-immediate-needs-while-pursuing-long-term-goals-b8c4471857b1 Y2 - 2020/10/14/09:54:32 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Book Review: ‘Thinking and Working Politically in Development’ AU - Green, Duncan T2 - From Poverty to Power AB - Review of a new book that explores the 'secret sauce' of Coalitions for Change - an unusually successful governance programme in the Philippines DA - 2020/09/04/T06:30:30+00:00 PY - 2020 LA - en-GB ST - Book Review UR - https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/book-review-thinking-and-working-politically-in-development/ Y2 - 2020/10/15/11:49:14 ER - TY - BLOG TI - What is Political Economy Analysis (PEA) and why does it matter in development? AU - Teskey, Graham T2 - From Poverty to Power AB - Graham Teskey shares a great internal links round up and guide to 'political economy analysis' DA - 2020/09/02/T06:31:24+00:00 PY - 2020 LA - en-GB UR - https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/what-is-political-economy-analysis-pea-and-why-does-it-matter-in-development/ Y2 - 2020/09/04/09:01:23 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Rapid Action Learning for Sanitation and Hygiene Programming AU - Chambers, Robert AU - Myers, Jamie AU - Vernon, Naomi T2 - Frontiers of Sanitation AB - There is a glaring gap and compelling need for approaches and methods that realign to new rigour through timeliness, cost-effectiveness, relevance and being actionable. Over the past few years, the Sanitation Learning Hub, in collaboration with the Government of India, Praxis, WSSCC and WaterAid India, have been developing Rapid Action Learning approaches. Multiple approaches have been trialled, with flexible formats, but the essential criteria is that learning is timely, relevant and actionable. These learning approaches are the focus of the latest edition of the Frontiers of Sanitation series. This Frontiers explains the advantages and disadvantages of the approaches trialled and sets out a challenge to those working in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector to: Reflect on what, for you, constitutes rigour. Adopt and adapt approaches to fit your context and needs. Develop your own approaches. Record your experiences and lessons learnt. Take the time to share your experiences with us CY - Brighton DA - 2020/09// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 21 LA - en PB - IDS SN - 15 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Participación Digital y mejora democrática - un camino sin regreso AU - Palumbo, Gabriel AB - Tal vez como nunca en la historia, la democracia está siendo desafiada. A los viejos problemas, muchos no resueltos, se les agregan otros, surgidos de la incorporación de tecnología, de la emergencia de nuevos actores sociales y de una conformación de la subjetividad política cada vez más compleja e impredecible. Esta investigación pretende reactualizar algunos de los debates clásicos sobre la democracia y, al mismo tiempo, sentar una base empírica que permita pensar de qué modo la tecnología puede ayudar a mejorar la calidad democrática. Según nuestro estudio, la participación digital está promoviendo modificaciones importantes en la relación entre la ciudadanía y los decisores políticos, ampliando los espacios de proximidad. Esto sucede, fundamentalmente, porque baja las barreras de acceso y de incentivos haciendo más fácil, más efectiva y más mensurable la participación ciudadana. La participación digital aumenta el períodos electorales y fomenta el asociacionismo cívico como posibilidad cierta y concreta de presionar sobre los decisores políticos. Lo digital habilita, además, participación offline y genera espacios de pedagogía cívica. La capacidad de implantación de temas en el debate público que se puede generar a través de ella mejora la conversación pública, impactando a su vez la calidad de la democracia. Desde Luminate entendemos que favorecer los espacios de rendición de cuentas desde la ciudadanía hacia el poder político es una apuesta al robustecimiento de la experiencia democrática y que las formas digitales están abriendo posibilidades que otras opciones no pudieron lograr. Esperamos que esta investigación sea un aporte para poder seguir reflexionando y avanzando en esta dirección. DA - 2020/09// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 26 LA - es PB - Luminate ER - TY - RPRT TI - Navigating adaptive approaches for development programmes AU - Pett, Jamie T2 - Working Paper AB - This working paper compares six of the most prominent adaptive approaches to emerge over the past two decades. Three come from the world of innovation, largely in the private sector (agile, lean startup and human-centred design), and three from the global development sector (thinking and working politically, forms of adaptive management and problem-driven iterative adaptation). While all of these approaches are valuable when used in the right context, practitioners may be perplexed by the multiplicity of methods and jargon. This paper aims to address some of this confusion by mapping where these approaches have come from and showing how they can be applied across the adaptive programme cycle. Armed with this knowledge, practitioners might experiment with different combinations and sequences of adaptive approaches according to the kind of problem and context faced. In turn, this may help us move beyond a siloed view of approaches linked to innovation, adaptive management or more politically smart ways of working. Key messages: • Adaptive approaches have emerged in several sectors, including software development, product and service design, technology startups and international development. • Adaptive approaches can help practitioners counteract misplaced certainty. By talking to potential users, understanding institutions, interests and ideas and investigating the root causes of a problem, practitioners applying these approaches can illuminate the underlying nature of the problem and context. • Rather than building a whole solution straight away, these approaches commonly encourage practitioners to start small and use structured cycles of testing and learning. There is scope to further consider how different approaches can be better brought together and combined. • Adaptive approaches in development provide a wider range of options for what to create and facilitate – not only products or services, but also forms of collective action. There are also alternative ways to think about scale – considering how others might take up an idea and looking for leverage, rather than quantity. CY - London DA - 2020/09// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 31 LA - en PB - ODI SN - 589 UR - https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/202009_learnadapt_navigating_adaptive_approaches_wp_3.pdf ER - TY - RPRT TI - SystemCraft - a primer: How to Tackle our Toughest Problems AU - Simpson, Kate AU - Randall, Ian AB - Systemcraft is our applied framework to help leaders and organisations get started and keep going when faced with complex problems. It is built on our practical experience. It draws on a broad body of research, action and theory from the worlds of complexity thinking, systems theory, adaptive management, leadership development, social movements, development theory and beyond. Systemcraft has been designed to make systems thinking something any leader can apply when they find themselves faced with a complex problem and asking, ‘So what do I do next?’ CY - Nairobi DA - 2020/09// PY - 2020 PB - Wasafiri UR - https://www.wasafirihub.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Wasafiri-SystemCraft-2020-Small.pdf Y2 - 2021/11/09/12:10:22 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Reacting or adapting? Purposeful adaptation and response to contextual change. AU - Wood, Nik T2 - Rebel with Causation AB - Adaptive management is increasingly on the ticket for development programming, and has been crucial in the wake of covid-19. I’ve been working with adaptive programmes for most of my career, … DA - 2020/08/28/T11:01:19+00:00 PY - 2020 LA - en-GB ST - Reacting or adapting? UR - https://rebelwithcausation.com/2020/08/28/reacting-or-adapting-purposeful-adaptation-and-response-to-contextual-change/ Y2 - 2023/10/16/13:22:45 ER - TY - BLOG TI - International Public Participation Models 1969-2020 AU - Hussey, Sally T2 - Bang The Table AB - International Public Participation Models 1969 – 2020 provides an essential resource of 60 different models to better map public participation in practice and theory. DA - 2020/08/24/T00:27:47+00:00 PY - 2020 LA - en UR - https://www.bangthetable.com/blog/international-public-participation-models/ Y2 - 2020/09/04/09:06:16 ER - TY - BLOG TI - W(h)ither sanctions? AU - Aston, Tom T2 - Thomas Aston LinkedIn pulse AB - Considerations on where and when sanctions fit into the conception of social accountability is a nudge toward better and more granular descriptions of what work is being undertaken effectively in which situations. DA - 2020/08/18/ PY - 2020 UR - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whither-sanctions-thomas-aston/ ER - TY - BOOK TI - How Artifacts Afford: The Power and Politics of Everyday Things AU - Davis, Jenny L. AB - Technologies are intrinsically social. They reflect human values and affect human behavior. The social dynamics of technology materialize through design features that shape how a technology functions and to what effect. The shaping effects of technology are represented in scholarly fields by the concept of “affordances.” Affordances are the ways design features enable and constrain user engagement and social action. This has been a central construct for designers and technology theorists since foundational statements on the topic from JJ Gibson and Don Norman in the 1970s and 80s. With the rise of digitization and widespread automation, “affordance” has entered common parlance and resurged within academic discourse and debate. Davis provides a conceptual update on affordance theory along with a cogent scaffold that shifts the orienting question from what technologies afford, to how technologies afford, for whom, and under what circumstances? “How Artifacts Afford” introduces the mechanisms and conditions framework of affordances in which technologies request, demand, encourage, discourage, refuse, and allow social action, varying across subjects and circumstances. Underlying this mechanisms and conditions framework is a sharp focus on the politics and power encoded in sociotechnical systems. In this timely theoretical reboot, Davis brings clarity to the affordance concept, situates the concept within a broader history of technology studies, and demonstrates how the mechanisms and conditions framework can serve as a transferrable tool of inquiry, critique, and (re)design. CY - Cambridge, MA DA - 2020/08/11/ PY - 2020 DP - Amazon SP - 192 LA - English PB - MIT Press SN - 978-0-262-04411-0 ST - How Artifacts Afford UR - https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262044110/how-artifacts-afford/ ER - TY - VIDEO TI - Webinar - Practicing Thinking and Working Politically (TWP): Voices from the Field AU - SID AB - Current thinking on effective international development interventions highlights the importance of “thinking and working politically” (TWP). Among the emerging lessons of experience is that thinking politically, using tools such as political economy analysis, is more easily undertaken than working politically. How can the two pillars of TWP be effectively integrated? What challenges exist and how have practitioners confronted them? This session focuses on listening to voices from the field to explore answers to these questions. The organizers solicited proposals from implementers, reaching out to SID-W members and the Washington, D.C.-based TWP community of practice. They selected the following four projects that illustrate different approaches to practicing TWP. • Mercy Corps: Integrated Maji Infrastructure and Governance Initiative for Eastern Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo • Asia Foundation: Tourism Strategy Project, Timor-Leste • Counterpart International: Rights and Dignity Project, El Salvador • RTI International: Knowledge Sector Initiative, Indonesia Their voices will be bookended by Sarah Frazer (RTI International), who will summarize a recent study, Thinking and Working Politically: Lessons from Diverse and Inclusive Applied Political Economy Analysis, and Alina Rocha Menocal (Overseas Development Institute), who will provide commentary on the four projects and the study findings. Ann Hudock (Counterpart International) will moderate. DA - 2020/07/22/ PY - 2020 DP - YouTube PB - Society for International Development. ST - Practicing Thinking and Working Politically (TWP) UR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzBg8bM7dQ8 Y2 - 2020/10/01/09:21:32 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Managing uncertainty when your brain doesn’t like it AU - Proud, Emma T2 - LearnAdapt AB - Over lockdown there were a lot of tantrums in our household. The tears and tussles were at a dramatic high when the schools closed, and… DA - 2020/07/16/T15:59:12.251Z PY - 2020 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/learnadapt/managing-uncertainty-when-your-brain-doesnt-like-it-9f220ffe1252 Y2 - 2020/10/14/09:56:43 ER - TY - BOOK TI - The Politics of Uncertainty : Challenges of Transformation AU - Scoones, Ian AU - Stirling, Andy AU - Stirling, Andy AB - Why is uncertainty so important to politics today? To explore the underlying reasons, issues and challenges, this book’s chapters address finance and banking, DA - 2020/07/14/ PY - 2020 DP - www.taylorfrancis.com LA - en PB - Routledge SN - 978-1-00-302384-5 ST - The Politics of Uncertainty UR - https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781003023845 Y2 - 2020/10/15/11:31:50 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Webinar - Sustainability Ready: what it takes to support & measure lasting change AU - Cekan, Jindra T2 - Valuing Voices AB - On June 24th under GLocal’s UNConference, “Co-creating our future stories of hope and action”, Jindra Cekan, Holta Trandafili, and Isabella Jean presented their work on sustainability evaluations and exit strategies via local voices. We chaired a 2-hour discussion session on the following topics: Sustainability of global development projects and exit from them, The importance of valuing local partners’ and participants’ voices, How to embed ex-post evaluation of sustainability into the project cycle, How expectations, benchmarking, and early joint planning in exit strategies, as well as considering long-term ownership & relevance will support projects to be sustained locally, including questioning who will maintain results, Considering power dynamics between donors and ultimate ‘beneficiaries’ and the value of the impact of the project from a variety of perspectives, and more Here is the recording of our presentation or see just the PowerPoint presentation. We harvested lessons from our three presentations: Jindra Cekan: · Fear of learning about failure in our global development industry – INGOs are “waiting for a successful enough project” to commission ex-post project sustainability evaluation · It needs to be a culture of learning, not a culture of success. · Lack of transparency in sharing program evaluation results with communities and local government is widespread, and even more rarely do we come back after many years and share learnings · Participatory approaches are vital, listening to participants about sustained impacts is key · It is never attribution, always contribution. To isolate impacts, we need to look for project sites that haven’t had multiple other organizations overlapping through all phases. · Building sustainability planning throughout the project cycle is key – but often doesn’t happen Holta Trandafili: · Sustainability needs to be planned to be researched, including evaluating why or why not were project elements sustained, and why? What has the project done to enable communities to sustain improvements? · Expectations of sustainability need to be more modest (as most results are mixed good/bad) · We need to ask: How are you defining and measuring sustainability – for how long should the results last? Among how many participants? Have you set benchmarks for success? · We should expand your toolbox on methodology to investigate sustainability. Stories of success are one of a myriad of methods used, including mixed-methods, cost-benefit, etc. · Start with the need for learning not [just] accountability Isabella Jean: · Sustainability investigation/evaluation/learning should be mindful that this is NOT about projects. It is about people. · We have a system that focuses on gaps and needs to be filled vs. existing capacities’ structures to be reinforced. How can our work on measuring sustainability bring this to light and call it out, so that we change the norm? · Planning for sustainability requires the insight to integrate resources and experiences of outsiders with the assets and capacities of insiders to develop context-appropriate strategies for change If you would like to discuss this with any of us, please send us comments and we’re happy to respond. Thanks again to the G-Local UnConference team! Below please find our bios: Jindra Cekan/ova has worked in global development for 33 years focused on participatory design and M&E for global non-profits. She founded Valuing Voices 7 years ago. For details, see: Valuing Voices Founder Holta Trandafili is the Research, Learning, and Analytics Manager with World Vision US and has been leading field research, monitoring, and evaluation since 2007. She has led sustainability measurement studies for World Vision programs in Uganda, Kenya, Sri Lanka, India, Burma, and Bolivia. Her areas of expertise and interest include program and community groups’ sustainability measurements; agency-level measurements; empowerment approaches to development; integrated programming; local capacities for peace; gender analysis; and outcome monitoring. Currently, Mrs. Trandafili serves as an Advisory Committee member for InterAction’s Effectiveness and Program Evaluation Working Group and chairs one of the sub-working groups under The Movement for Community-led Development. Isabella Jean supports international and local organizations and funders to document promising practices, facilitate learning and strengthen capacities for conflict sensitivity, peacebuilding and humanitarian effectiveness. She has facilitated action research, collaborative learning and advisory engagements in over 25 countries, and serves as an advisor to policymakers, senior leadership and program teams. Isabella co-authored the book, Time to Listen: Hearing People on the Receiving End of Aid and developed practical guidance to support accountability to communities, listening and feedback loops, and responsible INGO exits. She teaches graduate-level courses on aid effectiveness, program strategies and M&E of peacebuilding at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Previously, Isabella directed training at a community organizing network and conducted policy research for the Institute for Responsive Education, UNDP, and Coexistence International. DA - 2020/07/07/T23:07:04+00:00 PY - 2020 LA - en-US ST - Sustainability Ready UR - http://valuingvoices.com/sustainability-ready-what-it-takes-to-support-measure-lasting-change-webinar/ Y2 - 2020/10/01/09:34:19 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Physically distanced adaptive management AU - Proud, Emma T2 - LearnAdapt AB - Opportunities and challenges for local leadership DA - 2020/07/06/T18:05:47.825Z PY - 2020 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/learnadapt/physically-distanced-adaptive-management-58f1aa672d45 Y2 - 2020/10/14/09:56:41 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Big Data to Data Science - Moving from “What” to “How” in the MERL Tech Space AU - Bertermann, Kecia AU - Robinson, Alexandra AU - Bamberger, Michael AU - Higdon, Grace Lyn AU - Raftre, Linda AB - This paper probes trends in the use of big data by a community of early adopters working in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) in the development and humanitarian sectors. Qualitative analysis was conducted on data from MERL Tech conference records and key informant interviews. Findings indicate that MERL practitioners are in a fragmented, experimental phase, with use and application of big data varying widely, accompanied by shifting terminologies. We take an in-depth look at barriers to and enablers of use of big data within MERL, as well as benefits and drawbacks. Concerns about bias, privacy, and the potential for big data to magnify existing inequalities arose frequently. The research surfaced a need for more systematic and broader sharing of big data use cases and case studies in the development sector. DA - 2020/07// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 20 LA - en PB - MERL Tech ER - TY - RPRT TI - Emerging Technologies and Approaches in Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning for International Development Programs AU - Bruce, Kerry AU - Gandhi, Valentine J AU - Vandelanotte, Joris AB - Emerging technology is making monitoring, evaluation, research and learning (MERL) more precise and enriching data. However, this evolution is so rapid that it can be difficult to stay informed about the field overall. This paper presents examples of emerging technology that are most often used in MERL for development programs, describes the pros and cons of their use, and discusses technology and ethics concerns that practitioners should keep in mind. The paper covers new types of data sources (application data, sensor data, and drones), new ways to store data (distributed ledger technology and the cloud), and new ways to analyze data (text analytics and supervised and unsupervised learning). DA - 2020/07// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 20 LA - en PB - MERL Tech ER - TY - JOUR TI - Dynamic knowledge management strategy development in international non-governmental organisations AU - Walsh, John N. AU - Lannon, John T2 - Knowledge Management Research & Practice AB - Knowledge management strategies are important for firms’ competitive positioning. This paper examines how knowledge management codification and personalisation strategies are developed in response to environmental and organisational dynamics in an international non-governmental organisation. A longitudinal case study of the organisation’s strategic reformulation of its KM strategy over a 2.5 period is drawn upon. The research examines how pressures in the firm’s operating environment led to the organisation identifying the need to leverage the value of local contextual knowledge. Subsequent reformulation required the organisation to change its strategic mix of codification and personalisation over time. Although efforts were focused on increasing personalisation, developments were supported through codification demonstrating a symbiotic, mutually supporting relationship between the strategies. The strategic reformulation involved processes of reflection, repackaging and support activities. DA - 2020/06/30/ PY - 2020 DO - 10.1080/14778238.2020.1785348 DP - Taylor and Francis+NEJM VL - 0 IS - 0 SP - 1 EP - 12 SN - 1477-8238 UR - https://doi.org/10.1080/14778238.2020.1785348 Y2 - 2021/07/30/11:44:31 KW - Knowledge management strategy KW - case study KW - international development KW - knowledge dynamics KW - non-governmental organisation ER - TY - RPRT TI - Evaluating CLARISSA: Innovation Driven by a Participatory Learning Agenda AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Snijder, Mieke AU - Kakri, Shanta AU - Macleod, Shona AU - Paul, Sukanta AU - Sambo, Anna AU - Ton, Giel T2 - CLARISSA working paper AB - Children end up in child labour as a result of many, often unknown or hidden, interactions between multiple actors and multiple factors within households, communities, and labour systems, leading to unpredictable outcomes for children and other sector stakeholders and sometimes resulting in the worst forms of child labour (WFCL). It is a complex problem, and interventions aimed at tackling it are also, inevitably, complex and challenging. The way they influence change is non-linear, causality is uncertain, and unintended consequences may result. Programmes such as the Child Labour: Action-Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia (CLARISSA) that are engaging with such intractable challenges and aim to reach the most left behind (children in WFCL) are operating in conditions of complexity. This complexity poses significant challenges to the way programmes are designed, planned, implemented, and evaluated, and requires a move away from linear and predetermined models. In this Working Paper, we share our experience and early learning about how to design and implement monitoring, evaluation and learning that intentionally embraces the challenge of complexity. CY - Brighton DA - 2020/06/25/ PY - 2020 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - Institute of Development Studies SN - 2 ST - Evaluating CLARISSA UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/15456 Y2 - 2023/01/10/14:37:04 ER - TY - BOOK TI - Innovation for Development Impact: Lessons from the OECD Development Assistance Committee AU - OECD T2 - The Development Dimension AB - The development co-operation community needs to innovate to meet the global challenges ahead. Although it has an established track record for innovating partnerships, funding instruments and technologies, they are not enough to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals. This report synthesises the lessons emerging from an OECD Development Assistance Committee peer learning exercise on how innovation efforts can be strengthened, individually and collectively, to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The report is organised around three blocks – strategy, management and culture; organisation and collaboration; and, the innovation process – and provides recommendations on how innovation can best benefit poor and vulnerable people around the world. DA - 2020/06/23/ PY - 2020 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) LA - en PB - OECD SN - 978-92-64-84945-7 978-92-64-32157-1 978-92-64-41178-4 978-92-64-79893-9 ST - Innovation for Development Impact UR - https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/development/innovation-for-development-impact_a9be77b3-en Y2 - 2020/08/14/11:27:22 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Farewell DFID … a personal obituary AU - Mason, Phil T2 - LinkedIn - Phil Mason AB - Reflection on how DFID was created. DA - 2020/06/17/ PY - 2020 UR - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/farewell-dfid-phil-mason-obe/ Y2 - 2020/10/15/12:16:39 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Looking for a way out of aid’s pre-pandemic mess? A model based on cake AU - Baguios, Arbie T2 - From Poverty to Power AB - Arbie Baguios presents his ideas on how to reform the aid system DA - 2020/06/12/T06:30:01+00:00 PY - 2020 LA - en-GB ST - Looking for a way out of aid’s pre-pandemic mess? UR - https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/looking-for-a-way-out-of-aids-pre-pandemic-mess-a-model-based-on-cake/ Y2 - 2020/10/15/10:13:06 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Thinking and working politically with technology: State of the art meets art of the state AU - Thampi, Gopa AU - Nixon, Nicola T2 - From Poverty to Power AB - Based on its work in Sri Lanka, The Asia Foundation argues for greater attention to the local political dynamics into which digital solutions are introduced DA - 2020/06/05/T06:30:25+00:00 PY - 2020 LA - en-GB ST - Thinking and working politically with technology UR - https://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/thinking-and-working-politically-with-technology-state-of-the-art-meets-art-of-the-state/ Y2 - 2020/10/15/10:14:37 ER - TY - RPRT TI - What We Know About Traditional MERL Tech - Insights from a Scoping Review AU - Tilton, Zach AU - Harnar, Michael AU - Raftree, Linda AU - Perrin, Paul AU - Bruening, Gretchen AU - Banerji, Soham AU - Gordley, John AU - Foster, Hanna AU - Behr, Michele AB - This paper explores the peer-reviewed evidence base of “traditional” technology-enabled monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL Tech) in international development assistance from 2015 to 2019. The authors conducted a scoping review that searched seven databases, screened 3,054 reference titles and abstracts, coded 886 abstracts, and extracted and analyzed conclusions and recommendations from the full texts of 256 studies. The findings reveal the most frequently reported technologies, MERL activities, and the sub-sectors, and the geographies where those tech-enabled activities occur. Gaps in the evidence for specific technologies, MERL activities, and sectors are mapped. The data reveals which technologies are trusted more than others and reported barriers to effective MERL Tech implementation and areas that researchers suggest for further investigation. The results suggest that the evidence from peer-reviewed studies is not proportional to estimated MERL Tech activity, significant publication bias exists, and further knowledge synthesis of unindexed grey literature is needed to provide a more comprehensive and possibly accurate description of MERL Tech practice. DA - 2020/06// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 27 LA - en PB - Western Michigan University ER - TY - VIDEO TI - Navigating with Action Inquiry (Collective Leadership Animations) AU - Keira Oliver AB - "Have you ever wondered if there might be a better way to work together? Perhaps you would like to find ways to avoid habits, or patterns of behaviour, that whilst you say you don’t like them, you seem unable to escape." Written & narrated by Cathy Sharp (Research for Real) and animated by Keira Oliver (Collective Leadership for Scotland) and her son (10yr) in an animation-sprint style (created quickly, but with care), this film summarises the ideas and practices of action inquiry. It introduces a set of statements designed to stretch, challenge and encourage us to talk about these ideas to find better ways to work together. DA - 2020/05/19/ PY - 2020 DP - YouTube UR - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX2MF6bW6GQ Y2 - 2023/05/22/13:42:41 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Scaling the impact of sustainability initiatives: a typology of amplification processes AU - Lam, David P. M. AU - Martín-López, Berta AU - Wiek, Arnim AU - Bennett, Elena M. AU - Frantzeskaki, Niki AU - Horcea-Milcu, Andra I. AU - Lang, Daniel J. T2 - Urban Transformations AB - Amplifying the impact of sustainability initiatives to foster transformations in urban and rural contexts, has received increasing attention in resilience, social innovation, and sustainability transitions research. We review the literature on amplification frameworks and propose an integrative typology of eight processes, which aim to increase the impact of such initiatives. The eight amplification processes are: stabilizing, speeding up, growing, replicating, transferring, spreading, scaling up, and scaling deep. We aggregated these processes into three categories: amplifying within, amplifying out, and amplifying beyond. This integrative typology aims to stimulate the debate on impact amplification from urban and rural sustainability initiatives across research areas to support sustainability transformations. We propose going beyond an understanding of amplification, which focuses only on the increase of numbers of sustainability initiatives, by considering how these initiatives create transformative change. DA - 2020/05/14/ PY - 2020 DO - 10.1186/s42854-020-00007-9 DP - Springer Link VL - 2 IS - 1 SP - 3 J2 - Urban Transform LA - en SN - 2524-8162 ST - Scaling the impact of sustainability initiatives UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s42854-020-00007-9 Y2 - 2024/02/15/11:38:07 KW - City KW - Rural KW - Scaling KW - Transformation KW - Transition KW - Transition initiative KW - Urban ER - TY - JOUR TI - Smart Implementation of complex change processes AU - Beier, Christoph AU - Kirsch, Renate T2 - Global Solutions Journal AB - Cooperation management facilitates the recoupling of progress toward sustainable development DA - 2020/05// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero IS - 5 SP - 206 EP - 211 LA - en UR - https://www.global-solutions-initiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/GSJ5_Beier_Kirsch.pdf Y2 - 2020/12/11/00:00:00 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Uncertainty and COVID-19: A turning point for Monitoring Evaluation, Research and Learning? - A discussion note for aid actors, policymakers and practitioners AU - Tyrrel, Lavinia AU - Roche, Chris AU - Jackson, Elisabeth AB - The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly shifted the context in which aid and development is being delivered. The global scale of the pandemic and the speed at which it is spreading mean that the ‘normal’ economic, ideological and organisational influences which shape (if not determine) aid delivery are in flux. This means that – for a relatively short-period – there is scope for aid actors to work collectively to embed more locally-led, politically-informed and adaptive forms of MERL in aid and development practice. These forms of Monitoring Evaluation Research and Learning (MERL) are not only well-suited to the current global pandemic. They also offer ways for aid program decision makers and practitioners to make sense of the complex and uncertain contexts in which much development work takes place. Applying locally-led, politically-informed and adaptive forms of MERL in the COVID-19 context and beyond requires a shift in mindset and approaches. Situations of complexity, in which it is difficult to predict the relationships between cause and effect, do not lend themselves to linear approaches and fixed indicators. Instead, they require ‘navigation by judgement’, ongoing learning and adaptation and greater privileging of local knowledge, and of the perspectives of those who are often excluded. Rather than being focused on upwards accountability, simple numbers and good news stories, the core function of MERL in this context is to support a better understanding – in real-time – of the changing operating context, to generate learning about the immediate impact of policy and program responses and their longer-term effects, and to inform decision making by front line staff. Whether the opportunities afforded by this ‘critical juncture’ are realised will depend on the degree to which those in the aid and development sector use this opportunity to promote a shift in the deep incentive structures within which development agencies are embedded. On the one hand, the pandemic underscores the limits of the linear understandings of change which underpin many orthodox approaches to planning, design and associated MERL. On the other hand, there is a vested interest in the status quo amongst many organisations, consultants, researchers and MERL practitioners. This is because approaches which promote locally-led development inevitably require those in power to relinquish control. While a range of factors make this shift difficult, there is more scope to change internal ways of working in development agencies than is commonly acknowledged. There is no time like the present to advocate for a ‘new normal’ for MERL. DA - 2020/05// PY - 2020 PB - Abt Associates UR - https://abtassocgovernancesoapbox.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/200514-uncertainty-and-covid19-a-turning-point-for-merl-final.pdf Y2 - 2020/10/15/10:04:43 ER - TY - VIDEO TI - A pragmatic approach to assessing system change - Webinar AB - Few topics inspire as much confusion and debate as systemic change. What is it? How do you measure it? Does it even matter? Assessing changes in systems might be more doable than you think. This webinar explored a back-to-basics approach to assessing system change. In November 2019, thirty results measurement specialists, managers and consultants got together in Bangkok. They took part in workshops on a back-to-basics approach to assessing system changes, applying it to cases from participants’ programmes. Since then, the insights from the workshop have been further developed into a pragmatic approach to assessing system changes that builds on what programmes are actually doing and learning from practice. It can be: applied by programmes using a variety of different systemic change frameworks applied across a variety of sectors implemented with internal resources using familiar methods for information gathering The speakers walked through the approach using examples from the 2019 workshop, including PRISMA in Indonesia and Skills for Jobs (S4J) in Albania. DA - 2020/04/30/ PY - 2020 LA - en PB - DCED UR - https://beamexchange.org/community/webinar/assessing-system-change/ Y2 - 2020/10/15/08:34:09 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Deciding Well in Tumultuous Times AU - Moss, Ian David T2 - Smarter decisions for a better world AB - Practical advice for donors and institutions responding to COVID-19 DA - 2020/04/24/T01:03:44.003Z PY - 2020 LA - en UR - https://medium.com/@iandavidmoss/deciding-well-in-tumultuous-times-512162f40f23 Y2 - 2020/10/15/11:27:58 ER - TY - RPRT TI - LEARN End of Contract Report AU - Learning Lab AB - In September of 2014, USAID’s Office of Learning, Evaluation & Research (LER) awarded the Learning and Knowledge Management (LEARN) contract to Dexis Consulting Group and subcontractor RTI International.1 This document—the End of Contract Report—captures five and half years of results and reflections for our stakeholders. Our intention is to share the good and the bad, and while this report would not be considered a “tell all,” we think we have a story worth sharing, particularly to USAID CORs and AORs, activity managers, and other implementers of institutional support contracts.2 LEARN’s primary purpose was to support organizational change at USAID. More specifically, the contract was focused on helping USAID staff integrate collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) approaches into the design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of programs (what is known at USAID as the Program Cycle). It was clear that most USAID staff, whether they realized it or not, were already integrating CLA into their work to some extent. The focus of our efforts, therefore, was to make those practices more systematic, intentional, resourced, and ultimately more widespread throughout the Agency, which would have a ripple effect on implementing partners and even other stakeholders, such as host country governments. This was based on the theory—later borne out by evidence—that by becoming a better learning organization, USAID could be a more effective development organization. And that theory brought the USAID CLA team within USAID’s Bureau for Policy, Planning & Learning (PPL) and LEARN contractors together, driven by a shared purpose of improving how USAID does business. LEARN was designed based on this belief and, as you might expect from a learning-oriented contract, began with more questions than answers. Primary among those questions was: could an institutional support contract do more than carry out requested services—could it actually accelerate positive organizational change at USAID? And if so, how and under what conditions? DA - 2020/04/05/ PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 92 LA - en PB - USAID ER - TY - RPRT TI - How Do Donor-led Empowerment and Accountability Activities Take Scale into Account? Evidence from DFID Programmes in Contexts of Fragility, Conflict and Violence AU - Anderson, Colin AU - Fox, Jonathan AU - Gaventa, John AB - Development donors invest significantly in governance reform, including in contexts characterised by conflict and fragility. However, there is relatively little comparative study of their change strategies, and little understanding of what works and why. This paper explores the strategies of six recent DFID-funded programmes in Mozambique, Myanmar, and Pakistan with empowerment and accountability aims. Document review and field interviews are used to analyse the application of multi-scalar or multi-level change strategies, since such approaches are hypothesised to potentially generate more leverage for public accountability reforms. Analysis suggests that these strategies can strengthen citizen ability to navigate governance systems to resolve problems and claim accountability, and can bolster pro-accountability coalitions’ internal solidarity and external legitimacy. Multi-level strategies also appear associated with establishing more significant pressure for reform than exclusively local or national approaches. Yet conventional project reporting focuses on counting activities and outputs rather than analysing the dynamic, interactive processes at work in these strategies, and few evaluations are publicly accessible. To fully understand what kinds of action strengthen citizen demands for accountability requires a more transparent and rigorous approach to learning from donor-led governance interventions. DA - 2020/04/03/ PY - 2020 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en M3 - Working Paper PB - IDS SN - 536 ST - How Do Donor-led Empowerment and Accountability Activities Take Scale into Account? UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/15211 Y2 - 2020/08/25/14:26:27 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Monitoring for problem-solving, adaptive management, reporting and learning AU - Dominique Morel AU - Dzino-Silajdzic, Velida AU - Hagens, Clara AB - Internal and external stakeholders have different information needs over a project’s life, for purposes that include adaptive management, accountability, compliance, reporting and learning. A project’s monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning, or MEAL, system should provide the information needed by these stakeholders at the level of statistical reliability, detail and timing appropriate to inform data use. In emergency contexts where the situation is still fluid, ‘informal monitoring’ has proved helpful to staff’s ongoing assessment of the broader environment in order to identify changes in the situation, in other actors’ responses, and in priority unmet needs that would require corresponding changes in the response.2 The same distinction between informal monitoring of possible changes in the project’s operating context—whether identified as project assumptions and risk factors or not—and formal monitoring of the activities included in the response and project indicators, is relevant for development contexts too. Informal monitoring: Ongoing assessment of changes in operating context Formal monitoring: Tracking progress against project activities and indicators Within formal monitoring, it is useful to further differentiate between light monitoring and rigorous monitoring: - Light monitoring aims to provide timely feedback on new activities (or new locations or target groups) or aspects of the project’s theory of change (activity-to-output or output-to-IR change) logic that staff are less confident about, to check for early signs that progress is being made and that assumptions are holding true while there is still ample time to make adjustments if necessary.3 - Rigorous monitoring aims to collect representative data for evidence-based project management, reporting and learning, not just at midterm but throughout project implementation. CY - Baltimore, USA DA - 2020/04// PY - 2020 PB - Catholic Relief Services UR - https://www.crs.org/sites/default/files/tools-research/monitoring_for_problem_solving_adaptive_mgt_reporting_and_learning_2020.pdf Y2 - 2022/02/24/15:44:19 ER - TY - RPRT TI - MERL Tech State of the Field - The evolution of MERL Tech AU - Raftree, Linda DA - 2020/04// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 30 LA - en PB - MERL Tech UR - https://merltech.org/resources/merl-tech-state-of-the-field-the-evolution-of-merl-tech/ ER - TY - RPRT TI - Adaptive leadership in the coronavirus response AU - Ramalingam, Ben AU - Wild, Leni AU - Ferrari, Matt AB - The coronavirus pandemic poses unprecedented challenges to science, policy and the interface between the two. How – and how quickly – policy-makers, practitioners and researchers react to this emerging and complex crisis is making a profound difference to people’s lives and livelihoods (WHO, 2020). But how can we ensure effective collective decision-making on the basis of emerging evidence, changing trends and shifting scientific understanding, all in the face of considerable uncertainty? Recent experience highlights the need for adaptive leadership in national and global responses to the outbreak. This briefing paper sets out key principles for what this might look like, and proposes a roadmap for policy-makers, practitioners and researchers to move towards such an approach as they tackle the unfolding crisis. Key messages Tackling the coronavirus outbreak requires adaptation at operational and leadership levels. Operationally, there is scope to strengthen evidence-based adaptive management practices, to adjust the mix and type of interventions being implemented and learn as we go so as to achieve shared goals. This requires adaptive leadership capacities, being open and transparent about learning, using collective decision-making processes and building trust with communities and individuals. CY - London DA - 2020/04// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 8 LA - en M3 - Briefing note PB - ODI UR - https://www.odi.org/publications/16817-adaptive-leadership-coronavirus-response-bridging-science-policy-and-practice ER - TY - BLOG TI - Cynefin St David’s Day 2020 (1 of 5) AU - Snowden, Dave T2 - Cognitive Edge AB - Series of blog posts discussing the last version (as of 2020) of the Cynefin framework. DA - 2020/03/01/ PY - 2020 LA - en-US UR - https://www.cognitive-edge.com/cynefin-st-davids-day-2020-1-of-n/ Y2 - 2021/03/03/12:16:59 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Adaptation in practice: lessons from teenage pregnancy programmes in Sierra Leone AU - Castillejo, Clare AU - Buell, Stephanie AB - A discussion of initial learning emerging from the SLRC ’Adaptive approaches to reducing teenage pregnancy in Sierra Leone’ action research project. CY - London DA - 2020/03// PY - 2020 LA - en M3 - Briefing paper PB - ODI ST - Adaptation in practice UR - https://www.odi.org/publications/16732-adaptation-practice-lessons-teenage-pregnancy-programmes-sierra-leone Y2 - 2021/02/18/13:36:23 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Politically informed approaches to gender in fragile and conflict-affected settings AU - Castillejo, Clare AU - Domingo, Pilar AU - George, Rachel AU - O’Connell, Shannon AB - This report summarises the discussions at a meeting held in September 2019 of a group of global development research and policy experts and practitioners, convened by ODI and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, to share experiences and knowledge, reflect on what we already know about working politically on gender in fragile and conflict-affected settings (FCAS), and identify what further evidence would be useful. Key messages: - It is important to identify, document and learn from politically informed and adaptive ways of working in practice on gender in FCAS. - Different analytical and monitoring, evaluation and learning tools are required for politically informed programming on gender. These should be embedded within programme teams and processes, and be both gender-responsive and responsive to the political economy context. - There is a need for more politically smart use of quantitative and qualitative data in order to identify plausible entry points and ways of working on gender in FCAS. This should include increasing the capacity of programme staff to use data to inform, adapt and correct programmes. - Staff promoting politically informed work on gender equality are often isolated, with little opportunity to share experiences or learn from others. Platforms should therefore be created to share experience and knowledge, and to bring together donors and implementers involved in this work. CY - London DA - 2020/03// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 16 LA - en M3 - Working Paper PB - ODI SN - 578 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Human trafficking in South Asia: Assessing the effectiveness of interventions AU - Jensen, Charity AU - Oosterhoff, P. AU - Pocock, N. AB - This Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) examines current evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to combat human trafficking in four South Asian countries (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan). This REA is being carried out as part of a wider assignment for the UK Department for International Development (DFID), with the overall objective of synthesising evidence on the effectiveness of interventions that tackle modern slavery in South Asia. Two REAs were conducted on different types of modern slavery, one on human trafficking for labour and sexual exploitation, and another on child labour (Idris et al., 2020). The research question for this REA is: ‘What has been the effect of interventions to combat and/or reduce sexual and labour exploitation in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Nepal?’ Trafficking in persons is a form of ‘modern slavery’, which is an umbrella term for the variety of situations in which someone is forcibly controlled by an individual or group for the purpose of exploitation. The Global Slavery Index estimated that, on any given day in 2016, 40.3 million people were victims of modern slavery, including 24.9 million people in forced labour and 15.4 million people in forced marriage. Of the estimated almost 25 million people in modern slavery in Asia, 66% were exploited for labour (Global Slavery Index, 2018). CY - London DA - 2020/03// PY - 2020 DP - Google Scholar PB - FCDO ST - Human trafficking in South Asia UR - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f61d9c1e90e072bc30fa04b/REA_-Trafficking_Mar_2020_FINAL.pdf Y2 - 2023/10/26/09:15:10 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Mainsreaming gender in an adaptive, politically smart governance programme - Lessons from Institutions for Inclusive Development in Tanzania AU - Laws, Ed AB - • This paper looks at the experience of gender mainstreaming in the Institutions for Inclusive Development (I4ID) programme – an adaptive, politically smart governance programme in Tanzania. • When development programmes try to engage with political stakeholders and align with the priorities of wider coalitions there is a danger that gender equality is de-prioritised. • It is important that formal political economy analysis, as well as other data collection, analysis and consultation exercises, are gender-sensitive. Teams should also look for ways to make gendered political and power analysis part of the everyday routine practice of staff. • Working politically and adaptively to advance gender objectives calls for staff with a specific skillset, as well as links to appropriate networks and political stakeholders. It also implies establishing checks and incentives to hold staff and partners accountable for gender objectives, and strong and consistent messaging from team leaders. CY - London DA - 2020/03// PY - 2020 PB - ODI UR - https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/202002_odi_i4id_briefing_note_gender_web.pdf Y2 - 2021/02/18/13:28:43 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Rethinking value for money for adaptive, politically smart programmes - Lessons from Institutions for Inclusive Development in Tanzania AU - Laws, Ed AB - - This short paper draws out lessons for working effectively with and through partners, based on the experience of the Institutions for Inclusive Development (I4ID) programme – an adaptive, politically smart governance programme in Tanzania. • Cultivating effective partnerships can be a key part of delivering locally legitimate projects that have the potential to create sustainable change. Adaptive and politically informed ways of working create specific opportunities and challenges for doing this well. • Flexible and adaptive programmes are deliberately designed to experiment and to make small investments in different areas, to see what will work. While this is often important for making headway on complex challenges, it can also leave partners exposed and can undermine trust. • It can also be challenging to balance the need to meet accountability commitments to donors while allowing local partners to take the lead in pursuing their own objectives. • Co-creating plans, priorities and activities with partners has the potential to resolve some of these tensions. But the time and patience required to do this successfully should not be underestimated, and can be difficult to maintain in the face of pressure from donors to see results within a confined timeframe. CY - London DA - 2020/03// PY - 2020 M3 - Briefing note PB - ODI UR - https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/202002_odi_i4id_briefing_note_gender_web.pdf Y2 - 2021/02/18/13:28:43 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Working effectively through partnerships - Lessons from Institutions for Inclusive Development in Tanzania AU - Laws, Ed AB - • This paper looks critically at the approach to value for money (VfM) in the Institutions for Inclusive Development (I4ID) programme – an adaptive, politically smart governance programme in Tanzania. • Adaptive, politically smart programmes like I4ID aim to deliver VfM by learning about what will work in complex environments, and quickly incorporating those lessons into delivery. When functioning properly, they can rapidly wind down activities as new information emerges and divert funding to more effective alternatives. • This means that adaptive programmes will achieve their potential to deliver strong VfM when their processes are good – when appraisal of experimental efforts is timely, consistent, knowledgeable and politically astute. As these programmes mature in their implementation phase, VfM evaluation should be focused on checking for a culture of adaptation and learning supported by strong adaptive processes. • While economy is important for adaptive programmes, it is also important that keeping costs low does not deprive teams of the resources, staff, and management and administration time they need to gather information, experiment, learn and adapt. CY - London DA - 2020/03// PY - 2020 M3 - Briefing note PB - ODI UR - https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/resource-documents/202002_odi_i4id_briefing_note_gender_web.pdf Y2 - 2021/02/18/13:28:43 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Evidence base for Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting: summary of the literature review (2020 update) AU - Learning Lab AB - The LEARN contract and the United States Agency for International Development/Bureau of Policy, Planning, and Learning (USAID/PPL) are managing an area of work known as the Evidence Base for Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (EB4CLA). The purpose of this work is to answer the following key learning questions: ● Does an intentional, systematic, and resourced approach to collaborating, learning, and adapting (CLA) contribute to organizational effectiveness and/or development outcomes? ● If so, how? And under what conditions? ● How do we know? How do we measure any contribution that CLA makes to development results? As we began this work, we identified the need to conduct a literature review looking at these questions to understand what is known, what remains unknown, and how others have tried to answer these questions to date. We were primarily interested in answering these questions: ● What evidence is there, if any, that collaborating, learning, and/or adapting contributes to organizational effectiveness, development outcomes, or both? What are the strongest pieces of evidence? ● Does the literature identify any factors critical to CLA that are not currently included in the CLA framework? ● Who else is working on measuring the impact of collaborating, learning and adapting? ● What methods and measures did researchers use to study the effects of collaborating, learning, and adapting? ● Where are there gaps in the research relevant to collaborating, learning, and adapting? ● When taken together, what practical guidance does the evidence for collaborating, learning, and adapting offer to practitioners and policy makers to improve organizational effectiveness and development outcomes? DA - 2020/03// PY - 2020 PB - USAID UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/sites/default/files/resource/files/031020_eb4cla_lit_review_update_2d.pdf Y2 - 2020/10/15/09:52:04 ER - TY - RPRT TI - What difference does CLA make to development? Key findings from a recent literature review (2020 update) AU - Learning Lab AB - USAID’s Bureau for Policy, Planning and Learning and its LEARN support contract are working to integrate systematic, intentional and resourced collaborating, learning and adapting (CLA) throughout program planning and implementation to achieve more effective development programs. As part of this effort, USAID is exploring several approaches to understand whether and how strategic collaboration, continuous learning and adaptive management make a difference to organizational effectiveness and development outcomes. To begin this work, we have undertaken a foundational literature review of academic and gray literature to answer our key learning questions: • Does an intentional, systematic and resourced approach to collaborating, learning and adapting contribute to organizational effectiveness? To development outcomes? • If so, how? And under what circumstances? • How do we measure the contribution? The 13 key findings, mapped to the CLA Framework below, are described in greater detail in the following pages. CY - Washington DC DA - 2020/03// PY - 2020 PB - USAID UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/system/files/resource/files/cla_literature_review_update_march_2020_final.pdf Y2 - 2024/01/31/00:00:00 ER - TY - MANSCPT TI - Process Tracing as a Practical Evaluation Method: Comparative Learning from Six Evaluations AU - Wadeson, Alix AU - Monzani, Bernardo AU - Aston, Tom DA - 2020/03// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero LA - en UR - https://mande.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Process-Tracing-as-a-Practical-Evaluation-Method_23March-Final-1.pdf ER - TY - BLOG TI - What we’ve learned about adaptive management from our Somalia education programming AU - Heales, Charlotte T2 - Care Insights AB - Adaptive management in its various incarnations has long been a focus of a development community that is more and more frequently bumping up against the barriers of complexity, and looking for ways to overcome its challenges. In a field where we consistently have to deal with multifaceted problems,... DA - 2020/02/28/ PY - 2020 LA - en-gb UR - https://insights.careinternational.org.uk/development-blog/what-we-ve-learned-about-adaptive-management-from-our-somalia-education-programming?highlight=YTozOntpOjA7czo2OiJsaXN0ZW4iO2k6MTtzOjk6ImNhcmVmdWxseSI7aToyO3M6MTY6Imxpc3RlbiBjYXJlZnVsbHkiO30= Y2 - 2020/10/15/11:23:31 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Decide Madrid: A Critical Analysis of an Award-Winning e-Participation Initiative AU - Royo, Sonia AU - Pina, Vicente AU - Garcia-Rayado, Jaime T2 - Sustainability AB - This paper analyzes the award-winning e-participation initiative of the city council of Madrid, Decide Madrid, to identify the critical success factors and the main barriers that are conditioning its performance. An exploratory case study is used as a research technique, including desk research and semi-structured interviews. The analysis distinguishes contextual, organizational and individual level factors; it considers whether the factors or barriers are more related to the information and communication technology (ICT) component, public sector context or democratic participation; it also differentiates among the different stages of the development of the initiative. Results show that individual and organizational factors related to the public sector context and democratic participation are the most relevant success factors. The high expectations of citizens explain the high levels of participation in the initial stages of Decide Madrid. However, the lack of transparency and poor functioning of some of its participatory activities (organizational factors related to the ICT and democratic dimensions) are negatively affecting its performance. The software created for this platform, Consul, has been adopted or it is in the process of being implemented in more than 100 institutions in 33 countries. Therefore, the findings of this research can potentially be useful to improve the performance and sustainability of e-participation platforms worldwide. DA - 2020/02/24/ PY - 2020 DO - 10.3390/su12041674 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) VL - 12 IS - 4 SP - 1674 J2 - Sustainability LA - en SN - 2071-1050 ST - Decide Madrid UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/4/1674 Y2 - 2020/11/17/11:27:53 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Adaptive Bureaucracies: lessons from DFID to the world AU - Simpson, Lea T2 - LearnAdapt AB - How many times have you worked on something that you know is failing, or just isn’t going as well as we’d all have hoped, but haven’t had… DA - 2020/02/17/T17:37:13.913Z PY - 2020 LA - en ST - Adaptive Bureaucracies UR - https://medium.com/learnadapt/adaptive-bureaucracies-lessons-from-dfid-to-the-world-20c72b46d565 Y2 - 2020/10/14/09:56:20 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Governance Diaries: An Approach to Governance Research from the Ground Up AU - Loureiro, Miguel AU - Joshi, Anuradha AU - Barnes, Katrina AU - Chaimite, Egídio AB - Research on empowerment and accountability tends to focus on collective action and its potential for empowering citizens undertaking the action and on achieving state accountability. In fragile, conflict and violence-affected settings (FCVAS) collective action is rare and risky. So how do citizens, particularly the chronically poor and most marginalised, interact and make claims on the different public authorities that exist in these settings, and how do these interactions contribute to citizens’ sense of empowerment and accountability? Given the current agenda of ‘leave no one behind’, an understanding of how such populations interact with public authorities to meet their governance needs can help identify the constraints to achieving development for all in these challenging settings. We developed ‘governance diaries,’ a cross between a panel survey and multi-sited ethnographies, as an iterative approach to capture their experiences around governance issues over time. We explain here how this approach works, and the challenges and opportunities it offers for research. CY - Brighton DA - 2020/02/14/ PY - 2020 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - IDS ST - Governance Diaries UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/15119 Y2 - 2020/10/01/11:01:01 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Getting intentional about M&E: choosing suitable approaches for adaptive programmes AU - Management, Global Learning for Adaptive T2 - GLAM Blog AB - Does the choice of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) approaches and tools matter for adaptive programmes? In short, yes: monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) and adaptive management (AM) are intertwined. While programme monitoring data and evaluation results are not the only sources of evidence that programmes use for learning and iteration, they often are amongst most important ones — or at least they should be. Selecting what type of information to collect and analyse — and how — is critical for any type of programme. However, what AM especially focuses on is intentionally building in opportunities for structured and collective reflection, ongoing and real-time learning, course correction and decision-making in order to improve effectiveness. DA - 2020/02/07/T15:28:36.809Z PY - 2020 LA - en ST - Getting intentional about M&E UR - https://medium.com/glam-blog/getting-intentional-about-m-e-choosing-suitable-approaches-for-adaptive-programmes-f76c6b2790d9 Y2 - 2020/10/14/13:32:21 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Actually Navigating by Judgment: Towards a new paradigm of donor accountability where the current system doesn’t work AU - Honig, Dan AB - This working paper explores how donors can move towards greater Navigation by Judgment, highlighting the actions people inside and outside aid agencies can work to make change—encouraging more Navigation by Judgment on the margin, starting today. CY - Washington DC DA - 2020/02// PY - 2020 LA - en PB - Center for Global Development ST - Actually Navigating by Judgment UR - https://www.cgdev.org/publication/actually-navigating-judgment-towards-new-paradigm-donor-accountability-where-current Y2 - 2020/02/14/10:36:31 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Managing Better: What All of Us Can Do to Encourage Aid Success AU - Honig, Dan AB - Management by way of top-down controls and targets sometimes gets in the way of aid donors’ aims, undermining project success. These unhelpful controls often stem from a need to account for performance; legislatures or executive boards induce agencies to exercise tight process controls and orient projects towards what is measurable and reportable. CY - Washington DC DA - 2020/02// PY - 2020 LA - en PB - Center for Global Development ST - Managing Better UR - https://www.cgdev.org/publication/managing-better-what-all-us-can-do-encourage-aid-success Y2 - 2020/02/14/10:36:33 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Transforming our work: Getting ready for transformational projects AU - Kehrer, Daniel AU - Flossmann-Kraus, Ursula AU - Ronco Alarcon, Sabrina Valeria AU - Albers, Vivien AU - Aschmann, Gwendolin CY - Bonn DA - 2020/02// PY - 2020 PB - GIZ UR - https://www.giz.de/fachexpertise/downloads/Transfomation%20Guidance_GIZ_02%202020.pdf Y2 - 2021/03/31/08:49:20 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Self Sabotage: Why Doing the Right Thing Results in Failure AU - Newell, Peter T2 - War on the Rocks AB - In January 2010 improvised explosive device (IED) attacks against dismounted infantry squads in Afghanistan numbered in the single digits — with only two DA - 2020/01/07/T08:55:55+00:00 PY - 2020 LA - en-US ST - Self Sabotage UR - https://warontherocks.com/2020/01/self-sabotage-why-doing-the-right-thing-results-in-failure/ Y2 - 2020/02/14/12:32:16 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Practising change together – where nothing is clear, and everything keeps changing AU - Sharp, Cathy T2 - Action Learning: Research and Practice AB - This paper explores the thinking and practice of ‘action inquiry’ an embedded learning practice that can help navigate complexity when practising change together. The paper uses examples from social contexts where there are concerns about community wellbeing and health care. These are drawn from collaborative or collective leadership development programmes within public services that seek to bring new attention to the qualities of how people think, converse and interact, as part of their collective professional practice. This treats social action as a relational and dialogical practice, something that we do together as professionals by engaging in reflective inquiry and action. The paper suggests that action inquiry offers a prospect of rekindling the links between ‘action learning’ and collaborative leadership by developing a co-mission and a mutual commitment to a new type of learning partnership. Action inquiry can be wrapped around and enmeshed within initiatives and programmes that work with complexity, anywhere where effective social action will depend on the quality of relationships that can be developed. This research was funded by two separate Scottish Government commissions, where the author was a learning partner. The paper also draws on the further reflections of some of the practitioners most centrally involved. DA - 2020/01/02/ PY - 2020 DO - 10.1080/14767333.2020.1712838 DP - Taylor and Francis+NEJM VL - 17 IS - 1 SP - 10 EP - 23 SN - 1476-7333 UR - https://doi.org/10.1080/14767333.2020.1712838 Y2 - 2023/05/22/14:08:48 ER - TY - RPRT TI - A New Policy Narrative for Pastoralism? Pastoralists as Reliability Professionals and Pastoralist Systems as Infrastructure AU - Roe, Emery AB - This paper proposes that pastoralist systems are better treated, in aggregate, as a global critical infrastructure. The policy and management implications that follow are significant and differ importantly from current pastoralist policies and recommendations. A multi-typology framework is presented, identifying the conditions under which pastoralists can be considered real-time reliability professionals in systems with mandates preventing or otherwise avoiding key events from happening. The framework leads to a different policy-relevant counternarrative to pastoralism as understood today. Some features of the counternarrative are already known or have been researched. The paper’s aim is to provoke further work (including case research and interactions with decisionmakers) on how robust the counternarrative is as a policy narrative for recasting today’s pastoralist policy and management interventions. CY - Brighton DA - 2020/01/01/ PY - 2020 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en M3 - Working Paper PB - ESRC STEPS Centre ST - A New Policy Narrative for Pastoralism? UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/14978 Y2 - 2021/07/15/09:24:33 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Embracing complexity - Towards a shared understanding of funding systems change AU - Ashoka DA - 2020/01// PY - 2020 LA - en-us PB - Ashoka UR - https://www.ashoka.org/files/embracing-complexitypdf Y2 - 2023/11/20/10:53:35 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Contribution Rubrics: A simple way to assess influence AU - Aston, Tom AB - This document explores how organisations can measure the level of influence that they had over an outcome. It summarises influence in terms of the significance of the outcome, the level of contribution and the strength of evidence. DA - 2020/01// PY - 2020 LA - en-GB PB - Independent Consultant ST - Contribution Rubics UR - http://www.kwantu.net/resources-1/2020/1/27/contribution-rubics-a-simple-way-to-assess-influence Y2 - 2020/02/14/10:33:34 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Adaptive Management in SDC: Challenges and Opportunities AU - Prieto Martin, Pedro AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Hernandez, Kevin AB - Adaptive management (AM) is a programme management approach that helps international development organisations to become more learning-oriented and more effective in addressing complex development challenges. AM practices have been applied for decades within other sectors as varied as logistics, manufacturing, product design, military strategy, software development and lean enterprise. At its core, AM is not much more than common sense, as it essentially recognises that the solutions to complex and dynamic problems cannot be identified at the outset of a programme but need to emerge throughout the process of implementation as a result of systematic and intentional monitoring and learning. The generic AM process typically involves an iterative cycle of design, implementation, reflection and adaptation activities, supported both by system monitoring and stakeholder involvement to obtain a better understanding of the evolving system and improve how the intervention is managed. A favourable context for AM in development. During recent decades, the international development sector has aimed to increase its results and impact orientation. As a result, a growing number of development organisations and governments have become increasingly aware of the limitations of traditional ‘linear and prescriptive’ programming approaches. They are now recognising the need to handle complexity better, and have begun to adapt their policies and practices to facilitate adaptive approaches. The World Bank, for example, now acknowledges that aid agencies need to increase flexibility of implementation, tolerate greater risk and ambiguity, devolve power from aid providers to aid partners, and avoid simplistic linear schemes for measuring results. Multilateral and bilateral organisations such as the World Bank, the United Kingdom’s (UK) Department for International Development (DFID) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are currently experimenting with adaptive approaches. A multitude of adaptive approaches and communities of practice have emerged that aim to improve the effectiveness of aid, including Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting, Thinking and Working Politically, Doing Development Differently, Market Systems Development, Conflict-Sensitive Programme Management, and Science of Delivery. Since generic AM approaches have existed for decades in other sectors, AM has the potential to act as a neutral ‘bridge language’ that facilitates exchange and learning among the different communities and donors. This report is the result of a learning partnership between the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). It assesses the relevance of AM to SDC, how it relates to working practices across SDC, and the key challenges and opportunities for SDC. Its process of elaboration involved a literature review on AM, an exploration of AM approaches from several bilateral donors, a series of 6 interviews with SDC staff and partners working in different countries and thematic domains, and a learning workshop at SDC headquarters (HQ), where staff from several SDC divisions reflected on AM and on how to advance the organisation’s capacity for adaptive programming and learning. CY - Brighton DA - 2020/01// PY - 2020 DP - opendocs.ids.ac.uk LA - en PB - IDS ST - Adaptive Management in SDC UR - https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/15117 Y2 - 2021/03/04/10:12:30 ER - TY - BOOK TI - Thinking and Working Politically in development - Coalitions for Change in The Philippines AU - Sidel, John T. AU - Faustino, Jaime AB - The Asia Foundation and the Australian Embassy in the Philippines today released a new publication, Thinking and Working Politically in Development: Coalitions for Change in the Philippines. Written by London School of Economics and Political Science Professor John T. Sidel and The Asia Foundation’s Jaime Faustino, the book examines the first phase of the Coalitions for Change program (2012-2018) and the contributions to key development policy reforms in the Philippines. The book is a rigorous treatment of the Coalitions for Change program’s transformative policy reforms—alongside lessons from its failures—across diverse policy arenas and in a wide variety of cities and provinces. The chapters are organized thematically: excise tax reform (Chapter 2), land governance reform (Chapter 3), education (Chapter 4), electoral reform (Chapter 5), disaster risk reduction and management (Chapter 6), and subnational governance reform and conflict resolution in Mindanao (Chapter 7). The co-authors together combine an independent, academic perspective on the program’s impacts (Sidel) with a front-row view of doing policy reform in the Philippines – both its political and technical dimensions (Faustino). Based on the empirical research and comparative analysis undertaken by the authors, the book articulates – and substantiates – a strong set of arguments that help to explain the program’s mixed pattern of achievements and disappointments. Overall, the book concludes that the seven-year program achieved significant and sustainable impact using problem-driven, adaptive, and iterative approaches to developmental change. The authors assert the program was at the forefront of notable development approaches: aid effectiveness and development around thinking and working politically, doing development differently, and adaptive programming. Graham Teskey, an early advocate of ‘thinking and working politically’ explores how development agencies can replicate the conditions for success in his Afterword. With illustrative case studies and analyses, the book provides valuable lessons for policymakers, scholars, bilateral agencies, think-tanks, and anyone interested in successfully maneuvering the shifting dimensions of development in the Philippines and elsewhere. CY - Pasig City DA - 2020/01// PY - 2020 PB - The Asia Foundation UR - https://asiafoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Thinking-and-Working-Politically-in-Development_Coalitions-for-Change-in-the-Philippines_Faustino_Sidel.pdf Y2 - 2020/10/15/11:45:51 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Contribution analysis for adaptive management AU - Apgar, Marina AU - Hernandez, Kevin AU - Ton, Giel T2 - Briefing Paper AB - This briefing note shares practical learning on the use of contribution analysis for adaptive management (CA4AM). It examines how the approach enables programmes to work with theories of change in a practical, reflexive way, and how, combined with assessing evidence of a programme’s contribution to change, its findings can inform programme adaptation. It also examines both how and to what extent CA enables AM through the experiences of four large complex programmes all working towards systems-level change and employing a structured process of reflection on theories of change. Key messages CA4AM can enable programmes to work with theories of change in a practical, reflexive way. It is particularly useful for programmes operating in conditions of complexity, when it is difficult to discern attribution and when systems-level change is the goal. A range of enabling factors help CA4AM to be used most effectively, including contractual flexibility; embedded monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL); and supportive leadership. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 14 LA - en PB - IDS/GLAM ER - TY - JOUR TI - Unpacking Mechanisms in Climate Resilient Agriculture Interventions AU - Barrett, Sam AU - D'Errico, Stefano AU - Anderson, Simon AU - Nebsu, Bayu T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - The investigation of causal mechanisms has the capacity to provide donors and implementing institutions with a greater understanding of people's reasoning and reactions as they work with interventions. This chapter contributes to the literature by identifying behavioral mechanisms generated through engagement with climate-resilient agriculture interventions within a larger livelihood project in Ethiopia. It works through the steps that enabled the study to unpack the black box between the climate-smart interventions and the outcome of crop production. The first step was a matching-based sampling design, following households over 3 years with six biannual surveys, and setting up a quasi-experimental evaluation setting. The second step used the data generated from the surveys in difference-in-difference models to assess the impact of the intervention on crop production. Third, to gain insight into the mechanisms at work, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were conducted with smallholder farmer project beneficiaries. The FGDs revealed what the beneficiaries themselves considered the key mechanisms generated from the intervention, thus forming the bridge between the interventions and outcome. The result was an evaluation design enabling deeper insight into attribution claims. The findings offered novel insights for policymakers about how the climate-resilient interventions worked for the people themselves and shedding light on the inner workings of the climate-smart technologies. Finally, they provided key stakeholders (commissioning agency and implementing organizations) with a powerful means by which to learn about the last project, so to better plan for the next iteration and improve the climate resilience of smallholder farmers. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DO - 10.1002/ev.20423 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2020 IS - 167 SP - 115 EP - 130 LA - en SN - 1534-875X UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20423 Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:26:35 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Letting Evidence Speak for Itself: Measuring Confidence in Mechanisms AU - Befani, Barbara AU - D'Errico, Stefano T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - This chapter argues that the credibility of causal mechanisms can be greatly increased by formulating them as statements that are both empirically falsifiable and empirically confirmable. Whether statements can be so depends on the potential availability of the relevant evidence (e.g., no evidence exists that can prove or disprove the existence of God, but good quality evidence is potentially available in many other cases). The Bayes formula can be used to measure the extent to which a given set of empirical observations supports or weakens the belief that a causal mechanism exists. With this approach, confidence in the existence of a mechanism is increased or decreased through a process that can be open, transparent, and shared with the public or groups of stakeholders, reducing cognitive biases, and improving internal validity and consensus around the existence of given mechanisms. The approach is showcased in the evaluation of a learning partnership whereby a knowledge product released by a research organization influenced policy at the municipal level. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DO - 10.1002/ev.20420 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2020 IS - 167 SP - 27 EP - 43 LA - en SN - 1534-875X ST - Letting Evidence Speak for Itself UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20420 Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:26:30 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Using a Participatory Theory Driven Evaluation Approach to Identify Causal Mechanisms in Innovation Processes AU - Blundo‐Canto, Genowefa AU - Devaux‐Spatarakis, Agathe AU - Mathé, Syndhia AU - Faure, Guy AU - Cerdan, Claire T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - Applied agricultural research institutes play different roles in complex agricultural innovation processes, contributing to them with other actors. To foster learning and usable knowledge on how research actions influence such lasting innovation processes, there is a need to identify the causal mechanisms linking these actions and the effects of the changes they enable. A participatory, theory-driven, ex-post evaluation method, ImpresS, was developed by the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development (Cirad). ImpresS reconstructs the innovation history and its impact pathway by analyzing behavioral mechanisms linked to stakeholders' individual reactions and responses, and underlying process mechanisms at a group level. ImpresS relies on iterative updating and refinement and on triangulating data sources and collection methods to ensure internal validity and to increase credibility by enabling different actors to express their viewpoints. Drawing on an in-depth case study, we discuss how ImpresS makes it possible to draw robust conclusions on causal mechanisms while posing challenges linked to the group dynamics and power imbalances commonly encountered in participatory methods. As demonstrated by the case study, ImpresS generates policy-relevant knowledge for future research projects. It also demonstrates how research actions can help coconstruct lasting dynamics that can survive fluctuating institutional support. Distinguishing between behavioral and process mechanisms benefits knowledge use as it makes it possible to disentangle the conditions that trigger changes in a given context while generating research questions concerning the external validity of mechanism hypotheses. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DO - 10.1002/ev.20429 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2020 IS - 167 SP - 59 EP - 72 LA - en SN - 1534-875X UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20429 Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:26:32 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Outcome mapping: learning brief AU - Buell, Stephanie AU - Malallah, Haneen AU - Mason, Paige T2 - Briefing Paper AB - Adaptive programmes recognise that certain changes, particularly in behaviours, are complex, non-linear and difficult to measure. This briefing note explores the use of outcome mapping (OM) as a monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) approach to track behavioural change and inform adaptation for two programmes: the Pathways to Resilience in Semi-arid Economies (PRISE) research consortium and the Accountability in Tanzania programme (AcT I and AcT II). It discusses the implementation of OM, the ways in which it has enabled adaptation and enabling contexts in order to identify key considerations for MEL specialists and programme managers as they determine whether OM may be the right fit, and how best to use the approach. Key messages OM has a number of different benefits as a MEL approach, including unpacking different uses of information at different levels of programme implementation; helping to develop a common language around progress markers; and going beyond monitoring to inform adaptation throughout implementation. These benefits are important aspects of monitoring, evaluation and learning for adaptive management (MEL4AM), as they provide richer evidence for decision-making at a frequency that could mean real-time learning and change. OM works best when it is embedded throughout the organisation, and as part of programme and organisational culture, rather than tasked to a MEL unit or individual. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 LA - en PB - ODI/GLAM ST - Outcome mapping UR - https://www.odi.org/publications/17354-outcome-mapping-learning-brief Y2 - 2020/10/14/13:32:30 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Learning From Failure 2020 - What CARE’s evaluations tell us about how to improve our work AU - CARE AB - “Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” --Samuel Beckett Here’s my favorite part of that quote: the ultimate goal is not a lack of failure; it’s better failures. That’s good news for CARE, because we just published round two of our Learning From Failure initiative, and…I know this will surprise everyone…we haven’t stopped failures yet. We do have some hopeful signs that we’re failing better; or at least, that we’re improving on some concrete weaknesses we identified in the first round. It’s an interesting process to launch the second phase of learning from failure. The first round, we didn’t know what we were going to find. We spent as much time talking about how it was the first-ever report of its kind as we did about the actual failures. Our case study admitted, “It's still very early to see specific development impacts.” Round two isn’t quite the same. It’s not new anymore, so there’s less excitement at having invented something. We’re not discovering data and themes for the first time. In a lot of ways, the stakes are higher. Round two of learning from failure becomes an exercise in continuous performance improvement, rather than a journey of discovery. If we don’t see improvements, we don’t have the excuse that it’s too early to tell. It also takes a sustained commitment. Launching an exploratory exercise at a small scale is easy, especially when no one quite knows what the answers will be. Pulling together a few pieces of content over a few months is pretty straightforward. It takes some staying power—and real support from leadership—to keep up the work over time, especially in the middle of a pandemic. That’s even more true once we’ve seen one round of results and had a chance to understand the work that it takes to improve. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 6 LA - en PB - CARE UR - https://usaidlearninglab.org/lab-notes/fail-again-fail-better ER - TY - RPRT TI - Listen carefully. Tread lightly. Adapt quickly. Approaching Adaptive Management: Examples from our Somalia Education Programming AU - CARE T2 - CARE Learning AB - Adaptive management approaches potentially offer us opportunities to deliver high quality results in circumstances where change is complex, including in fragile, unstable or conflict affected places. However, building adaptive programming continues to be a challenge for the sector. For CARE, our Department for International Development -UK Aid funded Girls’ Education Challenge (GEC) programming has provided useful learning on how to operationalise adaptive approaches. In this paper we expand on our learning from this project and offer some recommendations for how to create more opportunities for truly adaptive programming in the future. In particular: • Projects that are designed to adapt need budget structures, results frameworks and governance that enable the process of adaptation. In our GEC projects the approaches employed by DFID, including the introduction of Review and Adaptation meetings have served to support meaningful adaptation. • Adaptive projects require both strong participatory elements and flexible governance and accountability structures. Whilst rigorous and comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) systems are important without these other elements appropriate adaptation can be hindered. • Adaptive Management requires resources. Where the expected change is complex, adaptation is frequently necessary to ensure we are responding to context and evidence. This should be adequately resourced if we are to expect results. In an environment where many INGOs work consistently within complex environments, the sector also needs more opportunities to trial these approaches and could benefit from more funding streams available which include the kinds of approaches used by DFID in current GEC programming DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 PB - CARE UR - https://insights.careinternational.org.uk/media/k2/attachments/CARE_Adaptive-Management-and-the-GEC-in-Somalia_2020.pdf Y2 - 2020/10/15/11:24:12 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Exit for Sustainability Checklists AU - Cekan, Jindra AB - These Checklists for Exit along the Sustainability Project Cycle are based on lessons from ex-post evaluations that Valuing Voices has done or researched. Ex-post project completion evaluations are rare and even more so those that consulted partners and participants in the field about sustained impacts. Over $3.5 trillion has been spent on public foreign aid projects in the past 70 years (OECD 2019) yet we have evaluated less than 1% of these projects for sustainability. Our Valuing Voices ex-post research of 39 organizations’ evaluations of sustainability shows that most project results decrease (20-90%) as early as two years ex-post in addition to An Asian Development Bank study of post-completion sustainability found that “some early evidence suggests that as many as 40% of all new activities are not sustained beyond the first few years after disbursement of external funding,” Most project exits are in the last quarter and sustainability handover assumptions are not validated expost. Learning from what was sustained helps us know how to exit for sustainability from the very onset of the project (green slices) as compared to the typical project cycle (orange), above. We encourage those tasked with funding, designing, implementing, monitoring & evaluating projects to use these longer checklists and view the full recording shared with participants. A partial PowerPoint can also be found on „Sustaining All of our Hard Work“ presentation for the Vienna Evaluation Network (10/20). These checklists are aimed at donors/designers and implementers of foreign aid projects outcomes and impacts and can be adapted by local NGOs, national governments, private sector, academics, to create exit plans. Local participation in creating these and feedback on how well exit is going will help them sustain results. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 PB - Valuing Voices UR - https://valuingvoices.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Exit-For-Sustainability-Checklists-Dec2020-2.pdf Y2 - 2021/02/18/13:20:22 ER - TY - ELEC TI - Changeroo - Theory of Change platform AU - Changeroo AB - Changeroo assists organisations, programs and projects with a social mission to develop and manage high-quality Theories of Change. It allows you to - together with stakeholders co-create Theories of Change, and - present these in an interactive and engaging way. It helps keep a Theory of Change alive, enables reflective monitoring, and supports capacity building among social organisations. Changeroo helps you utilize your Theory of Change for strategic learning, communication, stakeholder engagement, impact measurement, scaling, planning, monitoring and evaluation. Thus you build a culture of critical thinking, constant analysis, co-creation and continuous learning. In sum, a truly strategic approach to societal value creation that helps you to assist your target groups to flourish! DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 UR - https://changeroo.com/ Y2 - 2020/10/15/10:36:34 ER - TY - ELEC TI - Theory of Change: From novice to master changemaker AU - Changeroo AB - Theory of Change is more than just a tool or instrument. It is a mindset! A mindset to optimise impact management. As the cornerstone of impact management it is indispensable to any purpose-driven organisation targeting social or environmental value creation. It offers you the cornerstone of a learning approach toward change and impact. A way to build a mindset and organisational culture of critical reflection, co-creation with stakeholders and constant analysis of what works, why, for whom and under what circumstances. Are you ready to take impact management to the next level with the help of Theory of Change? We offer you the premier online course to learn everything about this approach. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 UR - https://theoryofchangecourse.com/ Y2 - 2020/10/15/10:34:44 ER - TY - ELEC TI - ParEvo - Web-assisted participatory evolution of scenarios AU - Davies, Rick AB - ParEvo is a method of exploring alternative futures or histories, using a participatory evolutionary process (hence ParEvo). The process is designed to be used by multiple people, to produce a branching structure of storylines about what did, or could, happen. Participants are anonymous and can choose the extent to which they collaborate with others. Participants are also able to tag, comment on, and evaluate the storylines that are generated. Completed exercises can be analysed using downloaded data describing the content of storylines and the structure of people’s participation. Outcomes can be both cognitive (e.g. how we think about the future) and behavioural (e.g. how we respond to the future). DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 UR - https://parevo.org/ Y2 - 2022/07/01/08:46:16 ER - TY - BOOK TI - How to design and plan public engagement processes: a handbook AU - Faulkner, Wendy AU - Bynner, Claire AB - There is a growing hunger for more, and more meaningful, citizen participation in decisions that affect our lives. Across the world, calls for open government, workplace democracy, community empowerment are gaining support, as are innovative developments in deliberative democracy. The current COVID-19 pandemic makes these calls more pressing than ever, given the deepening inequalities it has caused and the complex challenges of building a progressive road out of the crisis. So, now more than ever we need people capable of designing and planning public engagement processes that are empowering and worthwhile. Experienced practitioners know that, without considerable forethought, care and preparation, public engagement processes risk achieving little or, worse, alienating people so that they never engage (with you or anyone else) again. This Handbook seeks to deepen people’s skills in designing and planning effective public engagement processes, by providing a structured four-stage framework for tackling the task. It draws on the authors’ extensive practical experience of training and working with public engagement facilitators across sectors as well as international expertise. You may be a citizen, a community or public engagement practitioner, an elected or government representative, or some other sponsoring organisation or stakeholder. You may be new to this kind of work or experienced but wanting to review and improve your practice. Or you may be studying public participation in democratic processes. Wherever you are coming from, and whatever type of public engagement you are doing, this Handbook promises to be a useful addition to your toolbox. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero LA - en PB - What Works Scotland ER - TY - CHAP TI - Plans Are Worthless but Planning Is Everything: A Theoretical Explanation of Eisenhower’s Observation AU - Garcia Contreras, Angel F. AU - Ceberio, Martine AU - Kreinovich, Vladik T2 - Decision Making under Constraints A2 - Ceberio, Martine A2 - Kreinovich, Vladik T3 - Studies in Systems, Decision and Control AB - The 1953–1961 US President Dwight D. Eisenhower emphasized that his experience as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe during the Second World War taught him that “plans are worthless, but planning is everything”. This sound contradictory: if plans are worthless, why bother with planning at all? In this paper, we show that Eisenhower’s observation has a meaning: while directly following the original plan in constantly changing circumstances is often not a good idea, the existence of a pre-computed original plan enables us to produce an almost-optimal strategy—a strategy that would have been computationally difficult to produce on a short notice without the pre-existing plan. CY - Cham DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - Springer Link SP - 93 EP - 98 LA - en PB - Springer International Publishing SN - 978-3-030-40814-5 ST - Plans Are Worthless but Planning Is Everything UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40814-5_11 Y2 - 2024/02/02/15:23:50 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Beneficiary Feedback Mechanisms AU - Hayman, Rachel AB - There is a growing emphasis among NGOs and donors on ensuring that the voices of beneficiaries are heard. A range of beneficiary feedback mechanisms (BFMs) exist which enable beneficiary perspectives and suggestions to be gathered and used within an M&E system. BFMs are tools designed to enable a continuous cycle of interaction between those receiving and those delivering aid-funded interventions. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 PB - INTRAC ER - TY - RPRT TI - The Hidden Life of Theories of Change AU - Ho, Wenny AU - Tamas, Peter AU - van Wessel, Margit AB - Theory of Change is thought to be very useful for learning and adaptive management of complex interventions such as advocacy. Nevertheless, the use of Theory of Change is also under critique. One common criticism is that Theory of Change is often used as a framework that fixes agreements rather than as a living, guiding tool that helps reflection and adaptation. However, while such criticism stresses forms of control, little research has looked at the way Theory of Change and advocacy practice relate. This is a pertinent issue considering that formally agreed Theories of Change and realities on the ground can be very different. This raises questions: Do advocates work in ways different from what Theory of Change states, and if so, how, and why? How does the way they strategize relate to formal Theories of Change? With what implications? In this brief, we explore these more hidden aspects of the life of Theories of Change. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 PB - Hivos UR - https://www.hivos.org/assets/2020/09/The-Hidden-Life-of-Theories-of-Change.pdf Y2 - 2020/10/15/12:05:21 ER - TY - THES TI - Examining the results and adaptation ideas in foreign aid AU - Janus, Heiner AB - This thesis applies ideational and institutional theories to analyse how two specific ideas, results and adaptation, have changed the theory and practice of development cooperation. The thesis addresses the question of why the results and adaptation ideas are often treated as binaries and how this debate has evolved historically. In a first theoretical paper, the evolution of results and adaptation is conceptualised as a combination of institutional layering and diffusion within development organisations. The second theoretical paper applies ideational theory, in particular, the coalition magnet framework, to China as a donor country. The empirical papers apply ideational and institutional theories to study aid projects funded by the World Bank and China in the Rwandan agriculture sector. The third paper analyses through which mechanism, results-based principal-agent relationships or problem-driven iterative adaptation, the World Bank’s Program for Results in the agriculture sector in Rwanda has led to increased agricultural productivity. The paper combines causal process tracing and contribution analysis to investigate two underlying theories of change of the Program for Results. The fourth paper applies the same framework and methodology to the Chinese Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center in Rwanda. The fifth paper compares both projects, the World Bank project and the Chinese project. The thesis finds that the ideas of results and adaptation are often presented as mutually exclusive mainly at the general level of public philosophies or paradigms, but show overlap and potential for integration on the level of framing policy problems and policy solutions. The thesis also demonstrates that there is unexplored potential for convergence between China and Development Assistance Committee donors around “coalition magnet” ideas. The empirical part of the thesis reveals how results-based and adaptive causal mechanisms co-exist within given aid interventions by the World Bank and China, how these interact and how they ultimately contribute to achieving development outcomes. The key finding is that the broader political context of the Rwandan agricultural sector is the main factor for determining development outcomes, which neither the World Bank project nor the Chinese projects take into account. The comparison of the World Bank’s and China’s interventions finds that donor organisations need to address how results-based ideas in combination adaptive development ideas can be better tailored to fit into the specific context of the Rwandan agriculture sector. CY - Manchester DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 LA - en M3 - PhD Thesis PB - University of Manchester UR - https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/examining-the-results-and-adaptation-ideas-in-foreign-aid(33eb1913-0918-4147-8080-f36f3f444c18).html Y2 - 2022/03/30/14:26:31 ER - TY - JOUR TI - The Actor-Based Change Framework: A Pragmatic Approach to Developing Program Theory for Interventions in Complex Systems AU - Koleros, Andrew AU - Mulkerne, Sean AU - Oldenbeuving, Mark AU - Stein, Danielle T2 - American Journal of Evaluation AB - Despite a wide body of literature on the importance of program theory and the need to tackle complexity to improve international development programming, the use of program theory to underpin interventions aimed at facilitating change in complex systems remains a challenge for many program practitioners. The actor-based change framework offers a pragmatic approach to address these challenges, integrating concepts and frameworks drawn from complexity science and behavioral change literature to develop robust program theory for complex interventions. This article presents the conceptual framework for the approach and describes how it has been applied in practice on an evaluation of a security and justice program in Nepal. It concludes with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the approach in practice and how it can be applied more widely to improve program theory for interventions in complex systems. DA - 2020/03// PY - 2020 DO - 10.1177/1098214018786462 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) VL - 41 IS - 1 SP - 34 EP - 53 J2 - American Journal of Evaluation LA - en SN - 1098-2140, 1557-0878 ST - The Actor-Based Change Framework UR - http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1098214018786462 Y2 - 2021/05/06/13:44:47 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Crisis relief for adults & families everywhere - Featuring the mighty micro-VCoL AU - Lectica T2 - Lectica Live AB - In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis, we're open-sourcing our most effective stress- and crisis-management learning tools. We call these tools micro-VCoLs™. All of the micro-VCoLs shared here can be practiced effectively just by following the instructions. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 UR - https://lecticalive.org/about/vcols-free Y2 - 2023/11/20/11:46:25 ER - TY - BLOG TI - Virtuous cycles of learning (VCoL) and the +7 skills AU - Lectica T2 - Lectica Live AB - VCoL is a cycle of goal setting, information seeking, application, and reflection. Its +7 skills include reflectivity, awareness, seeking and evaluating information, making connections, applying knowledge, seeking and working with feedback, and recognizing and overcoming built-in biases. VCoLing engages the whole learner. By this, we mean that it engages learners emotionally, physically, and intellectually, leveraging both conscious and unconscious mental processes. VCoLing ensures that new knowledge is integrated into existing knowledge in a way that makes it useful and "sticky." When people work with our assessments, they're not only building knowledge, they're also nurturing the dispositions and skills required for a lifetime of learning and development. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 UR - https://lecticalive.org/about/vcol Y2 - 2023/11/20/11:42:57 ER - TY - JOUR TI - What Is This Thing Called a Mechanism? Findings From a Review of Realist Evaluations AU - Lemire, Sebastian AU - Kwako, Alexander AU - Nielsen, Steffen B. AU - Christie, Christina A. AU - Donaldson, Stewart I. AU - Leeuw, Frans L. T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - Realist evaluation has, over the past two decades, become a widely used approach in evaluation. The cornerstone of realist evaluation is to answer the question: What works, for whom, under what circumstances, and why. This is accomplished by explicating the causal mechanisms that, within a particular context, generate the outcomes of interest. Despite the central role of mechanisms in realist evaluation, systematic knowledge about how the term mechanism is conceptualized and operationalized is limited. The aim of the present chapter is to examine how mechanisms are defined and applied in realist evaluations. Informed by the findings of the review, further conceptual and practical developments for future applications of mechanisms in realist evaluation are considered. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DO - 10.1002/ev.20428 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2020 IS - 167 SP - 73 EP - 86 LA - en SN - 1534-875X ST - What Is This Thing Called a Mechanism? UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20428 Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:26:33 ER - TY - ELEC TI - 111 Evaluation Cartoons for Presentations and Blog Posts AU - Lysy, Chris DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 UR - https://freshspectrum.com/evaluation-cartoons/ Y2 - 2023/09/28/10:52:18 ER - TY - RPRT TI - AdaptScan - Improving your Team's Adaptive Management AU - Mercy Corps DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 PB - Mercy Corps UR - https://www.mercycorps.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/AdaptScan_Module.pdf Y2 - 2020/10/15/11:40:43 ER - TY - RPRT TI - A Pragmatic Approach to Assessing System Change: How to put it into practice AU - Miehlbradt, Alexandra AU - Shah, Rachel AU - Posthumus, Hans AU - Kessler, Adam AB - Planning for and assessing system change is a strategic management issue. It is critical for everything from developing a strategy and designing interventions, to adapting strategy, improving implementation and reporting impact. But many programmes get stuck when it comes to assessing system change. The private sector development field has struggled to agree on an approach that programmes can implement and stakeholders can understand. However some mature programmes are starting to assess system change more effectively. Building on these emerging practices, this paper outlines a process that programmes can use to assess system changes regularly and practically. Two complementary papers: Overview and How to put it into practice The Overview summarises the approach and How to put it into practice provides more detailed implementation guidance, worked examples, and useful tips. The Overview explores how to: develop a system change strategy and intervention plans that lay the groundwork for system change assessment, including how to set system boundaries and how to identify the system changes a programme aims to catalyse assess system changes using both: - an intervention lens focused on changes introduced by specific interventions - a helicopter lens that provides a whole system view By analysing findings from both lenses, programmes can improve their strategy and report on their contribution to system change. How to put it into practice uses two case examples for illustration throughout the paper - PRISMA’s work in the maize system in East Java and Indonesia and S4J’s work in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system in Albania. It targets practitioners responsible for facilitating and/or assessing system change. The paper explains how to: articulate the system changes that a programme aims to catalyse assess those changes use the results to inform decision making and reporting The approach described in the paper builds on the practices outlined in the DCED Results Measurement Standard. The guidance provided has been designed to be useful to programmes that aim to catalyse system changes whether or not they apply the DCED Standard. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 91 LA - en PB - DCED UR - https://beamexchange.org/community/webinar/assessing-system-change/ Y2 - 2020/10/15/00:00:00 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Leveraging Experimental Evaluations for Understanding Causal Mechanisms AU - Peck, Laura R. T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - Experimental evaluations—especially when grounded in theory-based impact evaluation—can provide insights into the mechanisms that generate program impacts. This chapter details variants of experimental evaluation designs and also analytic strategies that leverage experimental evaluation data to learn about causal mechanisms. The design variants are poised to illuminate causal mechanisms related to program implementation and the contribution of selected components of multifaceted programs. The analysis strategies lend themselves to illuminating causal mechanisms related to participants’ responses to program components as well as to the contributions of selected program components themselves. The chapter offers an example from one, theory-based impact evaluation, which embedded both design and analytic strategies to examine the extent to which specific program components and participant experiences might be identified as causal mechanisms. The particular value in using this theory-based experimental strategy is that the results are rigorous and potentially highly relevant to policy and practice. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DO - 10.1002/ev.20422 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2020 IS - 167 SP - 145 EP - 160 LA - en SN - 1534-875X UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20422 Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:26:35 ER - TY - RPRT TI - A Theory of Change of citizen participation: an update AU - Peña-López, Ismael AB - when it was reduced to a subsidiary internal service lacking all kind of political attributions. The work done in those years had been formidable, but too many things had passed since, especially the 15M Spanish Indignados Movement, the raise of technopolitics… and the raise of populism and fascism all across Europe. We urgently needed a theoretical framework in which to substantiate our political strategy, so I came up with a Theory of Change of citizen participation (see Figure 1) which defined four expected impacts of our political action: 1. Efficiency, efficacy and legitimacy of public decisions improves. 2. Populism has decreased in institutions and the public sphere. 3. Citizens understand the complexity of public decision-making. 4. Citizen participation and political engagement clearly shifts towards a technopolitical paradigm. These impacts were expected to be achieved after some outcomes resulting from some outputs grouped in five programmes: 1. Programme of citizen participation. 2. Programme of internal participation. 3. Programme of collaboration. 4. Programme of intermediaries, facilitators and infomediaries. 5. Programme of e-participation, e-voting and technopolitics. 20 months after, the Theory of Change of Citizen Participation has worked quite well. But it does have some limitations, especially at the operational level-which is what the whole thing was about, to help in putting some order in our daily work. CY - Barcelona DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - www.academia.edu LA - en PB - ICTlogy ST - A Theory of Change of citizen participation UR - https://www.academia.edu/42805069/A_Theory_of_Change_of_citizen_participation_an_update Y2 - 2020/10/15/10:02:18 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Measuring Governance, Advocacy and Power: A Database of Existing Indicators, Tools and Indices AU - Poirrier, Caroline AU - Tolmie, Courtney AB - Measuring Governance, Advocacy, and Power is an excel sheet that brings together existing indicators, tools, and indices that may be useful to practitioners responsible for the measurement of outcomes in the field of governance, advocacy, and power in an easily accessible and filterable format. CY - Washington DC DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 LA - English PB - R4D ST - Measuring Governance, Advocacy and Power UR - https://r4d.org/resources/measuring-governance-advocacy-and-power/ Y2 - 2021/03/30/08:38:28 ER - TY - JOUR TI - A new bird's eye view on the agile forest AU - Portman, Henny T2 - PM World Journal DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero VL - IX IS - 10 LA - en UR - https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/pmwj98-Oct2020-Portman-a-new-birds-eye-view-on-agile-forest.pdf ER - TY - JOUR TI - A new bird's eye view on the agile forest (2022 update) AU - Portman, Henny T2 - PM World Journal AB - Some years ago, you could say “Scrum is agile” and ask “is Agile Scrum?” Now we know there is much more flesh on the bones. At this moment there are more than fifty known and less known agile approaches, frameworks or methods available. To get a first impression of the different approaches, I try to bring some structure in the jungle to approaches, methods and frameworks. In Figure 1, I position the best-known agile approaches in a structure. The approaches, frameworks or methods are positioned within the 'One-time programs / projects' sections or within 'Business as usual’ / indefinite, or both. On the other side the approaches, frameworks or methods are clustered around team, product or programme and portfolio level. In the dark blue boxes in Figure 1 we see agile approaches that are only applicable in IT-focused organizations. All other approaches can be used within IT and non-IT-oriented organizations (light blue coloured). I haven’t mapped all the known approaches, frameworks and methods in this figure, and to be honest, I think there is a lot of duplication and probably commercial drivers play a role too to ‘develop’ the next kid on the block without added value in comparison with the existing approaches, frameworks or methods. The team level, including Scrum and Kanban, is applicable in both IT-oriented and non-IT-oriented products and services development and operations. The engineering level focuses specifically on IT-oriented product development. The one-time, temporary projects and programme frameworks and methods are suitable for both IT and non-IT. The permanent umbrella frameworks (both product-targeted and team-targeted) focus specifically on IT and product development and the Culture-targeted approaches help organisations to increase their agility. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero VL - IX IS - 10 LA - en UR - https://hennyportman.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/pmwj98-oct2020-portman-a-new-birds-eye-view-on-agile-forest-v2.8.pdf ER - TY - RPRT TI - A Pragmatic Approach to Assessing System Change AU - Posthumus, Hans AU - Shah, Rachel AU - Miehlbradt, Alexandra AU - Kessler, Adam AB - Planning for and assessing system change is a strategic management issue. It is critical for everything from developing a strategy and designing interventions, to adapting strategy, improving implementation and reporting impact. But many programmes get stuck when it comes to assessing system change. The private sector development field has struggled to agree on an approach that programmes can implement and stakeholders can understand. However some mature programmes are starting to assess system change more effectively. Building on these emerging practices, this paper outlines a process that programmes can use to assess system changes regularly and practically. Two complementary papers: Overview and How to put it into practice The Overview summarises the approach and How to put it into practice provides more detailed implementation guidance, worked examples, and useful tips. The Overview explores how to: develop a system change strategy and intervention plans that lay the groundwork for system change assessment, including how to set system boundaries and how to identify the system changes a programme aims to catalyse assess system changes using both: - an intervention lens focused on changes introduced by specific interventions - a helicopter lens that provides a whole system view By analysing findings from both lenses, programmes can improve their strategy and report on their contribution to system change. How to put it into practice uses two case examples for illustration throughout the paper - PRISMA’s work in the maize system in East Java and Indonesia and S4J’s work in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system in Albania. It targets practitioners responsible for facilitating and/or assessing system change. The paper explains how to: articulate the system changes that a programme aims to catalyse assess those changes use the results to inform decision making and reporting The approach described in the paper builds on the practices outlined in the DCED Results Measurement Standard. The guidance provided has been designed to be useful to programmes that aim to catalyse system changes whether or not they apply the DCED Standard. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 16 LA - en PB - DCED UR - https://beamexchange.org/community/webinar/assessing-system-change/ Y2 - 2020/10/15/00:00:00 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Keeping it Real: Using Mechanisms to Promote Use in the Realist Evaluation of the Building Capacity to Use Research Evidence Program AU - Punton, Melanie AU - Vogel, Isabel T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - This chapter explores the use of mechanisms within the realist evaluation of the Building Capacity to Use Research Evidence (BCURE) program, a £15.7 million initiative aiming to improve the use of evidence in decision-making in low and middle-income countries. The evaluation was commissioned to establish not just whether BCURE worked but also how and why capacity building can contribute to increased use of evidence in policymaking in the very different contexts in which the program operated. This chapter argues that using mechanisms helped provide nuanced and robust insights into these questions, while also strengthening the usefulness and policy relevance of the evaluation. Drawing primarily on qualitative data, including interviews with more than 500 stakeholders over 3 years, the evaluation explored the mechanisms that promote capacities to use evidence in decision-making, through developing and testing realist context-intervention-mechanism-outcome configurations (CIMOs). Uncovering the value of mechanisms for policy and program learning was not easy, and the chapter sets out some of the thorny challenges faced and how the BCURE evaluation navigated these. Ultimately, the use of mechanisms in the BCURE evaluation helped to generate practical and nuanced insights that fed directly into the design of a £17 million follow-up program. The seven mechanisms uncovered are continuing to inform our own and others’ work on institutional capacity change in a wide range of fields. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DO - 10.1002/ev.20427 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2020 IS - 167 SP - 87 EP - 100 LA - en SN - 1534-875X ST - Keeping it Real UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20427 Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:26:34 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Getting Practical With Causal Mechanisms: The application of Process-Tracing Under Real-World Evaluation Constraints AU - Raimondo, Estelle T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - Over the past decade, the field of development evaluation has seen a renewed interest in methodological approaches that can answer compelling causal questions about what works, for whom, and why. Development evaluators have notably started to experiment with Bayesian Process Tracing to unpack, test, and enhance their comprehension of causal mechanisms triggered by development interventions. This chapter conveys one such experience of applying Bayesian Process Tracing to the study of citizen engagement interventions within a conditional cash transfer program under real-world evaluation conditions. The chapter builds on this experience to discuss the benefits, challenges, and potential for the applicability of this approach under real-world evaluation conditions of time, money, and political constraints. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DO - 10.1002/ev.20430 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2020 IS - 167 SP - 45 EP - 58 LA - en SN - 1534-875X ST - Getting Practical With Causal Mechanisms UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20430 Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:26:31 ER - TY - JOUR TI - No Mechanism Without Context: Strengthening the Analysis of Context in Realist Evaluations Using Causal Loop Diagramming AU - Renmans, Dimitri AU - Holvoet, Nathalie AU - Criel, Bart T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - Realist evaluation is an approach with a strong emphasis on causal mechanisms and the context in which they are triggered. However, recent reviews of published realist evaluations show that context is often understudied. This is problematic, as a thorough understanding of the relationship between context and causal mechanisms is crucial in assisting policymakers to make appropriate and targeted decisions that improve the intervention. Therefore, we set out to test whether combining realist evaluation with the “systems thinking” approach and, more specifically, causal loop diagramming, could help strengthen the analysis of context. We did this through a study of a performance-based financing (PBF) intervention in the Ugandan health care sector by the Belgian development agency, Enabel. PBF allocates funds to health workers and/or health facilities based on their performance, and introduces additional management support tools, provides extra monitoring and supervision, and promotes community participation in management issues, among other activities. In this case, we found that the proposed combined methodological approach indeed adds value to the analysis, as it leads to insights into the role played by the underlying system that otherwise may have been overlooked. Moreover, such information may provide clear directions to policymakers on how to improve the intervention in a sustainable way. Finally, causal loop diagrams help to visualize complex causal interactions and to communicate them to policymakers. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DO - 10.1002/ev.20424 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2020 IS - 167 SP - 101 EP - 114 LA - en SN - 1534-875X ST - No Mechanism Without Context UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20424 Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:26:34 ER - TY - ELEC TI - Pando AU - Root Change T2 - Root Change AB - Pando is a platform that gives organizations a way to visualize, learn from, and engage with the social systems in which they work. We have designed Pando to help users build trust, strengthen relationships, and work together to achieve greater social impact. Grounded in social network analysis, Pando allows users to collect and visualize organizations and their relationships in real-time on simple and easy-to-use relationship maps. Relationship maps are managed by map administrators. These are actors interested in learning about a particular system and making the tool available to those working in the system. Pando is integrated with Keystone Accountability’s Feedback Commons, an online tool that allows map administrators to collect and analyze qualitative feedback about levels of trust and relationship quality among map participants. Key features of Pando include relationship mapping, feedback surveys, and dashboards. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 UR - https://mypando.org/index Y2 - 2020/10/15/11:19:03 ER - TY - JOUR TI - Special Issue: Causal Mechanisms in Program Evaluation AU - Schmidt, Johannes T2 - New Directions for Evaluation DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DO - 10.1002/ev.20357 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2020 IS - 167 SP - 1 EP - 6 LA - en SN - 1534-875X UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20357 Y2 - 2022/01/28/11:40:35 ER - TY - JOUR TI - The Causal Mechanism Claim in Evaluation: Does the Prophecy Fulfill? AU - Schmitt, Johannes T2 - New Directions for Evaluation AB - Despite increased discussions in the community and a common understanding about the virtue of mechanism-based explanation, little is known about the true benefits and challenges of applying causal mechanism analysis in practice. This chapter aims to introduce the reader to the topic of causal mechanisms and synthesize significant findings on this special issue. It begins by laying out definitions and concepts of causal mechanisms in evaluation literature and proposes a two-way classification of causal mechanisms along which the chapters to this issue are structured. The chapter continues by introducing the Causal Mechanism Claim and elaborates on how analyzing causal mechanisms is expected to increase policy relevance and causal capacity in evaluations. Drawing on this issue's rich corpus of firsthand practical experience, this introduction synthesizes key lessons that support or contradict the Causal Mechanism Claim. We find that both parts of the claim—increased policy relevance and strengthened causal capacity—are supported by the authors' experiences as bundled in this issue. However, we also identify challenges related to cross-cutting issues such as communication and practical applicability and point to the importance of method integration. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DO - 10.1002/ev.20421 DP - Wiley Online Library VL - 2020 IS - 167 SP - 11 EP - 26 LA - en SN - 1534-875X ST - The Causal Mechanism Claim in Evaluation UR - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ev.20421 Y2 - 2021/02/18/14:26:28 ER - TY - ELEC TI - System Innovation Network AU - Si Network T2 - Si Network AB - The Si Network is an online platform for building the developing of systems innovation - connecting people around the world to learn and apply the ideas and methods of systems innovation towards addressing complex challenges and building better systems that work for all. Not sure what systems innovation is? Systems innovation is a new approach to innovation that tries to tackle complex social and environmental challenges through the use of more holistic & innovation driven approaches. It is a kind of innovation that aims to change the underlying structure of a system, thus potentially enabling a more transformational kind of change - systems change - rather than incremental "innovation as usual". What Do You Do? We are building an ecosystem of individuals and organizations co-learning and co-creating systems innovation across geographies and sectors. This ecosystem is enabled by our online platform which provides educational content, toolkits, organizes events and projects as well as provides various support services for organizations. Purpose Statement Our purpose is to build the world’s capacity for systems innovation - so as to better understand and address complex challenges and co-create a world where systems work for all. We envision a world where everyone thinks in systems and has an understanding of complex systems. From this understanding, we are able to design and develop regenerative systems that work for everyone. Our mission is to grow the field of systems innovation as a pathway to co-learn the ideas of systems thinking and apply them to co-creating new systems Who's Involved? We are a networked organization of some 17K+ members forming part of 20+ hubs in major cities around the world. Our community is broad and diverse in areas of work and interest from designers, innovators, and entrepreneurs, to researchers and management but they all share a common interest in learning and applying systems thinking ideas. The Si platform is developed and managed by a small core team based in London UK. We are registered as a business but operate as a social enterprise focused on our purpose of advancing the area of systems innovation in theory and practice. Core Value Creativity - We put creativity at the centre of what we do. Holding a space for curiosity, diversity of views, exploration and critical thinking as a pathway to transformative innovation. Openness - We strongly believe in openness in our ways of being, thinking and organizing as a sustainable pathway to creating an adaptive, scalable and dynamic community. Growth Mindset - We embrace challenges as opportunities for continuous personal and collective learning and development, with a never-ending potential to grow and start with a new beginning. Perseverance - When facing uncertainty and failure, perseverance is what is needed to maintain commitment and a resilient pathway aligned with our purpose. Care - Care is one of our core principles. We foster relationships based on honesty and empathy, striving to be present and conscious in what we do and taking responsibility for the effects of our actions. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 LA - en UR - https://www.systemsinnovation.network/ Y2 - 2023/10/03/09:01:13 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Learning and Accountability AU - Simister, Nigel AU - Scholz, Vera AB - Most people agree that monitoring and evaluation (M&E) should be used for both learning and accountability. However, there is no consensus about which one is more important. The debate matters as there is sometimes tension between the two purposes. In the past there has often been a disconnect between M&E and learning. Many M&E systems are primarily designed to enable accountability to donors. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 PB - INTRAC UR - https://www.intrac.org/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Learning-and-Accountability.pdf Y2 - 2023/01/24/10:07:05 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Chaos Report 2020 AU - Standish Group DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 PB - Standish Group ER - TY - RPRT TI - Guide for Adopting Remote Monitoring Approaches During COVID-19 AU - USAID AB - USAID maintains staff and operations in more than 80 countries around the world, all of which the COVID-19 pandemic will disrupt. USAID remains committed to protecting the health and safety of our staff, while continuing appropriate oversight of our programs and ensuring the accountable and effective use of U.S. taxpayer funds. In the current operating environment, USAID and implementing partners face new challenges in implementing activities, monitoring progress, collecting data, and tracking indicators. As we adapt our approaches, we will work with implementing partners to find innovative, responsible, and safe ways to monitor and evaluate programming. Digital tools can support novel approaches to remote monitoring. Responsible use of digital tools also supports operating unit alignment with the Digital Data Collection mandate in the Agency’s new Digital Strategy. This guide provides information for Agency staff and implementing partners on remote monitoring techniques and when they can be employed. We encourage use of this guide to identify and pursue appropriate remote-monitoring approaches for your needs. CORs/AORs and Activity Managers should work with implementing partners to document updated approaches in each agreement’s plans for monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), and should upload these amended Activity MEL Plans into the Agency Secure Image and Storage Tracking System (ASIST) as soon as possible. This can be done in collaboration with Mission and Washington Bureau M&E Specialists, as appropriate DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 9 LA - en PB - USAID ER - TY - BOOK TI - Evaluation of International Development Interventions: An Overview of Approaches and Methods AU - Vaessen, Jos AU - Lemire, Sebastian AU - Befani, Barbara AB - This guide provides an introductory overview of a range of methods that have been selected for their actual and potential use in the field of international development evaluation. For each method, a detailed guidance note presents the method’s main features and procedural steps, key advantages and disadvantages, as well as its applica­bility. Each guidance note includes references for relevant background readings (basic and advanced) as well as references to other additional resources of interest. Both the choice of approaches and methods and the associated guidance are by no means definitive. IEG plans to periodically update the guide as evaluation prac­tices evolve. DA - 2020/11// PY - 2020 DP - DOI.org (Crossref) LA - en PB - World Bank ST - Evaluation of International Development Interventions UR - http://elibrary.worldbank.org/doi/book/10.1596/34962 Y2 - 2021/08/05/20:47:06 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Applying Rigorous Impact Evaluation in GIZ Governance Programmes: Results of a GIZ Initiative on Impacts in Governance AU - von Schiller, Armin AB - Pressure is mounting on international development cooperation agencies to prove the impact of their work. Private and public commissioners as well as the general public are increasingly asking for robust evidence of impact. In this context, rigorous impact evaluation (RIE) methods are increasingly receiving attention within the broader German development system and in GIZ. Compared to other implementing agencies such as DFID or USAid, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has so far relatively little experience in systematically applying rigorous methods of impact evaluation. This is particularly true in the governance sector. In order to gain more experience and to understand which methods and formats are best suited for GIZ governance programmes, the Governance and Conflict division and the Africa department launched the ‘Impact Initiative Africa’ in 2016, a cooperative effort with several programmes in Africa. The Initiative set out to apply the experiences from GIZ governance programmes to design and conduct RIEs, and to use the results to steer programme implementation. Initially, the Initiative included three countries: Benin (Programme for Decentralisation and Local Development), Malawi (Support to Public Financial and Economic Management) and Mozambique (Good Financial Governance in Mozambique). During its implementation, the Initiative also benefitted from the experience of two additional governance programmes which had already undertaken RIEs, namely Peru (Citizen-oriented State Reform Programme) and Pakistan (Support to Local Governance Programme II). This report summarizes the insights gained from these experiences and discusses opportunities and limitations regarding the use and usability of RIEs in GIZ governance programmes as well as proposals on how to organise RIEs to maximise learning potential and benefits for the specific programmes and the GIZ Governance sector at large. CY - Bonn DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 PB - GIZ GmbH UR - https://www.idos-research.de/uploads/media/giz2021-0020en-rigorous-impact-evaluation-giz-governance-programmes-results.pdf Y2 - 2023/03/28/09:50:39 ER - TY - RPRT TI - Rigorous Impact Evaluation in GIZ Governance Programmes AU - von Schiller, Armin T2 - How-To-Note AB - Why should I integrate an impact assessment in my programme? How will the programme benefit from it? Are the benefits worth the effort and expenses? How do I design and implement it in detail? Who is addressable for support? What should I pay attention to in order to get the most out of it? This note is meant to answer these questions. It addresses leaders and project staff of governance programmes who are interested in using this tool within their specific governance programme or project. This note provides a guideline and good practice recommendations on how to design and conduct an impact assessment and on how to fully utilise the benefits of the results for the programme and for communication with commissioners, partners and other donors. Additionally, this note will point to indirect benefits that can arise and that should not be ignored. Results of impact assessments are highly relevant for the GIZ as an institution. However, in this note we stress the benefits for the programme or project itself. In particular this note addresses the following aspects: • What are rigorous impact assessments and why should GIZ Governance programmes conduct them more often within their programmes? • Which phases does an impact assessment include? How do I set one up and which aspects deserve special attention in each phase to maximise the benefits for my programme? • What are the benefits I can expect from implementing and impact assessment? • Whom to ask at headquarters in case I need support? This note complements the policy brief “Strategic use of Rigorous Impact Evaluation” and the corporate strategic review on “Rigorous Impact Evaluation” written by the GIZ evaluation unit which focuses on the strategic use of rigorous impact evaluations (RIE) at GIZ. Based on the review findings, the policy brief presents recommendations for strategic planning and implementation of purpose-sensitive RIE using a number of key levers. By adopting central coordination and needs-based support mechanisms, the evaluation unit intends to promote the strategic use of RIE for evidence-based learning and decision-making within the organisation. CY - GIZ DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 PB - Bonn UR - https://www.idos-research.de/uploads/media/giz2021-0019en-rigorous-impact-evaluation-giz-governance-programmes_01.pdf Y2 - 2023/03/28/09:48:27 ER - TY - MAP TI - Habits of a system thinker AU - WCST AB - From the Waters Center For Systems Thinking. See: https://thinkingtoolsstudio.waterscenterst.org/courses/habits https://thinkingtoolsstudio.waterscenterst.org/cards CY - Tucson, AZ DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 PB - Waters Center For Systems Thinking UR - https://ttsfilestore.blob.core.windows.net/ttsfiles/habits-single-page-2020.pdf Y2 - 2021/07/30/09:24:59 ER - TY - RPRT TI - USAID Wildlife Asia as a case study in adaptive rigour AU - Ziegler, Jessica T2 - Briefing Paper AB - This briefing note looks at how the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Wildlife Asia programme has operationalised the concepts of adaptive rigour and adaptive management as part of its approach to collaborating, learning and adapting. As described by the Global Learning for Adaptive Management (GLAM) initiative, adaptive rigour is about ensuring that the data, information, methods, processes and systems that underpin adaptive management are robust, systematic and high‑quality. Key messages When faced with programmatic complexity, it is important to take an adaptive approach driven by continuous and iterative monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL). USAID Wildlife Asia, which works to advance regional action towards ending illegal wildlife trafficking in Southeast Asia and China, has embraced this approach as a way of operationalising adaptive rigour. Throughout programming, MEL approaches should reflect the characteristics of adaptive rigour: comprehensiveness, usefulness, practicality, timeliness and support. Utilising performance monitoring and research in order to test and revise technical approaches and employing mixed methods to collect both qualitative and quantitative data, as well as looking for relevant lessons generated by others, can ensure access to the most useful information for decision-making throughout implementation. For adaptive management, it is not enough to monitor, evaluate and learn; it is also essential to pause and reflect in order to analyse and process evidence gained through MEL with colleagues and stakeholders to reach the right conclusions and make good decisions. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 13 LA - en PB - ODI/GLAM ER - TY - RPRT TI - Adapting data collection and utilisation to a Covid-19 reality: Monitoring, evaluation and learning approaches for adaptive management AU - Ziegler, Jessica AU - Mason, Paige T2 - Briefing Paper AB - This briefing note focuses on the remote collection and use of data for adaptive management during the Covid-19 pandemic, setting out key considerations to help practitioners think through a transition from more ‘traditional’ monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) to MEL for adaptive management (MEL4AM) that reflects the unique data collection challenges presented by Covid-19. The brief provides an overview of some key considerations in remote data collection, when this is required, and identifies other sources that address these issues in more detail. It concludes with a discussion of how to bring the information resulting from remote monitoring into decision-making to enable adaptive management. Key messages - When planning for remote data collection during the Covid-19 pandemic, first determine what information is still necessary, because data needs may have changed, e.g. if programming has pivoted or needs to pivot due to Covid-19. Then identify how the programme’s information needs align with existing data sources and what gaps remain, which will guide the need for remote data collection. - Also consider what data is ‘good enough’ for current decision-making needs in order to provide sufficient information to the right people at the right time to an acceptable standard of rigour. - There may be pragmatic reasons to reduce the number or scope of MEL activities, such as logistical constraints or ethical considerations introduced by the pandemic. - MEL activities should be accompanied by frequent feedback loops and pause points to reflect on emergent needs and challenges, information needs that have been met, and contextual changes that may affect MEL. - Be clear with decision-makers about the assumptions and gaps in the data, including proxies used and their limitations, sampling changes, and how these changes and assumptions may affect the decisions/options being discussed. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 DP - Zotero SP - 11 LA - en PB - ODI/GLAM ER - TY - RPRT TI - Evaluability Checklist for Post Project Evaluation AU - Zivetz, Laurie AU - Cekan, Jindra AB - Considerations for planning a post project evaluation during the project, at the end, or after it has closed. DA - 2020/// PY - 2020 PB - Valuing Voices UR - https://valuingvoices.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Valuing-Voices-Checklists.pdf Y2 - 2021/02/18/13:20:22 ER -